How to search effectively: Database searching and Refworks 2017

Learning outcomes Develop an effective search strategy Identify relevant subject databases Search for journal articles using those databases Manage your references

How many words or phrases can you find to describe….?

Identify key concepts What are the methods and challenges of communicating with older people living with dementia?

Find synonyms Communication Older people Dementia

Communication Older people Dementia Communicat* OR “Older people” Interpersonal Elderly Alzheimer Convers* Geriatric “Cognitive impair*” Dialogue Age* “Cognition disorder” Speak* “Senior citizen” “Brain disease”

OR search communicat* convers* interpersonal

OR search “older people” age* geriatric

OR search dementia “cognitive impair* alzheimer

Articles matching this criteria will be returned AND search communicat* OR convers* OR interpersonal “older people” OR age* OR geriatric dementia OR “cognitive impair*” OR alzheimer Articles matching this criteria will be returned AND search

Constructing your search communicat* OR interpersonal OR convers* AND “older people” OR geriatric OR age* dementia OR Alzheimer* OR “cognitive impair*”

Where to search

Truncation and phrase searching The search process Identify the key concepts Success of search dependent on keywords Creative thinking on initial keywords to think of related or alternative terms Use thesauri, dictionaries, index or content pages from relevant books Truncation and phrase searching

Evaluating results

RefWorks demo What is it? Why use it? How to use it?

RefWorks

Further help Finding information workbook Guide to using RefWorks Database guides (on database listing) Ask a Librarian Faculty specific workbooks

Other workshops