Phi Theta Kappa: Research Tips
Map out your search strategy
Creating a concept map can help you set up your search. Pose your research question then determine the elements of your search. Add synonyms to create a great search!
- Blank Concept Map and ExampleThis guide from the UIUC library has a blank concept map and an example that is already completed. Use these to help plan out your research.
Advanced Search Tips
These strategies apply to almost any database (or search engine), from Google to Academic Search Complete. Use a Concept Map to think about your research question before you start the actual searching (see right).
Boolean Logic
Databases, including Google, use Boolean Logic to combine search terms. (Google assumes an "AND" between search terms). Boolean operators allow you to combine synonyms and concepts and eliminate different meanings of words
The Boolean Operators are AND, OR, NOT
Truncation
Truncation allows you to use a word stem to search for strings of various characters.
Parentheses ( ) let you combine synonyms to search for a group of them at once. It's like a math problem, where you do what's in parentheses first! Here's where you can get really wordy with your search. So....
(canines or dogs) AND (ecology or habitat)