An effective search strategy helps you find the specific information you need.
In Step 1, you defined your information need by analysing the task, identifying keywords and brainstorming alternative words.
Now you need to create your search strategy. A search strategy is a plan for how you will combine your keywords to create an effective search, usually in an Advanced Search.
Selected keywords + Search boosters = Search strategy
An Advanced Search helps you refine your search to find highly relevant information, whereas a Basic Search may find more results, but they may not be relevant.
In an Advanced Search, you combine your keywords with search boosters to either widen (find more) or narrow (find fewer) the search results.
These boosters include Boolean operators, truncation, wildcards, phrase searching, and nesting.
Place a Boolean operator (AND, OR, NOT) between your keywords to include or exclude keywords in a search.
The yellow shaded area of the image shows the refined results.
AND will find results where both words appear, and gives the fewest results.
e.g. chocolate AND happy
OR will find results where either word appears, and gives the most results.
e.g. happy OR fulfilment
NOT will exclude a word from a search, giving a refined search.
e.g. chocolate NOT obesity
The word after "NOT" will be the word excluded from the search.
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You can search for a phrase, rather than individual words, to narrow your search results. Use quotation marks around the phrase, placing the words in the correct order. Use this booster carefully, as it can omit results that could have been useful. |
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These boosters both widen your search results, and use punctuation characters (asterisk and question mark) from your keyboard.
Truncation: enjoy* = enjoy, enjoys, enjoyment, enjoying, enjoyable
Wildcard: organi?e = organise, organize
You can select where to search for your keywords (field searching):
An Advanced Search includes limiters, (tick box or drop down menu), that let you to limit your search by:
Most databases provide a Help Tool or Search Tips.
Brackets let you use more than one search booster to create a meaningful search, like this:
(happiness OR enjoy* OR fulfilment) AND (chocolate NOT obesity) AND ("Mars bar")
Learn about more search boosters
Now look at your keywords, and work out which search boosters to use with each keyword, and create your own search. Generally you will use:
Search the Abstract field for your keywords, and select peer reviewed or scholarly articles as required.
Learn more about creating your search
Back to Step 1 - Analyse the task |
Example of Step 2 |
Go to Step 3 - Credible sources |
