Research Process: From Topic to Search

1. Formulate a search strategy

Using the search terms (both keywords and synonyms) identified when you defined your topic, select from the list to to formulate search strategies. The next step is to use the Boolean operators (and/or) to connect your keywords.

• Combine different ideas/concepts with AND
  Usually, using only one keyword is not specific enough for your topic.  You can focus or "narrow" your search by joining your keywords with the word "and." When you use "and", you are telling the computer that both terms MUST be in every item found. The more "ands" that you have, the smaller your results will be.

  For example:
  marijuana and teenagers and Canada

• Combine synonyms with OR.
  If you would like to broaden your search to include any synonyms or related terms for your keywords so that you don't miss important items, use "or" to say that either term is acceptable. When you use "or" you are telling the computer to show items that have either term. The more "ors" that you have, the bigger your results will be

  For example:
  marijuana or cannabis or drugs

WARNING: Be sure not to combine "and" and "or" in the same search box. Put all the terms related one idea (i.e., teenagers) on one line or search box to separate your keywords properly.

Example of a search strategy:

2. Select appropriate search tools

Library search tools (i.e., catalogue, specific article databases, and Internet search engines) have different purposes and ways of working. Once you have identified your possible search strategies, it is time to select the appropriate search tools for your needs. To do this, you need to ask yourself two questions: 1) "What kind of information do I need?" and 2) "Where do I go to find these sources?"

1. Books
   • Some books provide a comprehensive overview of a subject, where as others provide detailed examinations, analyses, or interpretations of a particular topic. Their bibliographies can lead you to other resources on your topic.  Depending on how narrow or how new your topic is, you may not find an entire book on your topic, but there is probably a book that contains information on your topic. For example, a book about teenage drug use would probably have a section or chapter on marijuana. Remember that books usually take years to write and get published, so you may need to supplement information from books with more recent material in journal articles.
   • How do you find them? Search the TRU Library catalogue to find TRU's books, government documents, pamphlets, and videos.
2. Articles
   • Periodical articles (i.e., articles found in magazines and journals) are a valuable source of current and detailed information on topical issues. They supplement the data found in books. Some topics are so current or are so narrowly focused that the only information written about them is contained in periodical articles. Research in the social sciences and sciences are often first reported in journal articles.
   • How do you find them? Use an article database to find journal, magazine, or newspaper articles. Not too sure which article database to use? Check out the TRU Library's research guide in your discipline for a list of suggested databases.
3. Websites
   • The Internet provides a wealth of current information on a wide variety of topics, but it should never be the sole or primary source of information. You need to be very careful to closely evaluate every website you use. Internet resources vary in quality and accuracy. Search the Internet after you have read your books and articles so you will be better able to evaluate the quality of the web information. It will save you time and energy in the long run.
   • How do you find them? For a list of suggested web sites, check out the TRU Library's research guide in your discipline and/or use an Internet search engine.

Now that you know what kind of information you need and which tools you need to use to find them, it's time to implement your searches.

3. Search

Take the search strategies that you created from your list of terms and run them in the various library tools (i.e., library catalogue, an article database, etc.).

4. Review results and revise search

• Not enough results? Revise your search terms and/or remove one of your keywords to broaden your results.
• Too many results? Use limits (scholarly journals, or by publishing year, etc…) and/or add another keyword to narrow your results.