How to search effectively: database searching and RefWorks

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

How many words or phrases can you find to describe this bottle of water?

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

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* Conversation* Geriatric “Cognitive impair*” Dialogue Age* “Cognition disorder” Speak* “Senior citizen*” “Brain disease” Describe truncation and speech marks, explain why etc. Also point out the ORs and explain on next slide

OR search Communicat* Conversation* interpersonal

“older people” age* geriatric OR search “older people” age* geriatric

OR search dementia “cognitive impair*” Alzheimer*

AND search “older people” OR geriatric OR age* Dementia OR Alzheimer* OR “cognitive impair*” communicat* OR interpersonal OR conversation* Only those articles which match all criteria will be returned.

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

Where to search:

Too many results? Too few results?

Accessing articles

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

Skills for the workplace At university: How to search effectively and manage references In the workplace: Identifying healthcare information sources Learning the skills to support your evidence-based profession Finding and evaluating evidence (data, literature)

Other workshops How to make notes from reading or listening How to plan your writing How to reference and avoid plagiarism How to put your reading into your writing How to get started with critical writing How to improve your critical writing How to stand up and be heard

Academic skills workshops Further help Library online workbooks Ask a Librarian Academic skills workshops Study skills webpages