Searching databases successfully Requires skill in formulating search strategies

Assignment: find information on the “effect of nutrition on students’ ability to achieve in school”

This assignment translates into a RESEARCH QUESTION The research question is: What is the effect of nutrition on students’ achievement in school?

There are two approaches to database searching NATURAL LANGUAGE APPROACH – aka “Just type in your question” BOOLEAN APPROACH – Break your Research question down into prominent key concepts.

The research question is: What is the effect of nutrition on students’ achievement in school? Natural language approach The effect of nutrition on students’ achievement in school Boolean approach nutrition AND achievement AND school

We prefer: The BOOLEAN APPROACH – Break your search into its concepts: Research Question: – What is the effect of nutrition on students’ achievement in school? – Key Concepts: nutrition AND achievement AND school

The BOOLEAN APPROACH Break your search into its concepts Research Question: – What is the effect of nutrition on students’ achievement in school? – Key Concepts: nutrition AND achievement AND school

and there are other ways to say that: nutrition AND achievement AND school OR diet AND scholastic achievement OR food intake AND grades

use a search strategy so powerful that you could do all that in one search (diet OR nutrition OR food intake) AND (school OR scholastic OR educational) AND (achievement OR success OR grades)

Successful searching involves Choosing the “right words” – And generating alternate words! Correct spelling Knowledge of the “operators” – Special words to connect (combine) search terms – this will help you master searching and search more effectively AND OR NOT

the “AND” operator (narrows) Aaaaa aaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaa aa diet AND achievement AND school achievement school diet Boolean operator AND

the “OR” operator (broadens) Aaaaa aaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaa aa (diet OR nutrition) AND achievement achievement nutrition diet aaa aAaaaa aaaaaa aaa aAaaaa aaaaaa Boolean operator OR

the “NOT” operator (excludes) Aaaaa aaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaa aa violence AND television AND children NOT adults adults children Violence On TV Boolean operator NOT

remember A Research Question is NOT a Search Strategy

Research question “Is legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes okay?” breaks down into: legalize AND marijuana AND medicinal

Strategy #1 – generate other terms “Legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes” – legalize OR law OR legislate “Legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes” – marijuana OR marihuana OR cannabis “Legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes” – medicinal OR medical OR illness OR disease OR sickness OR AIDS OR glaucoma

Strategy #1 – generate other terms Step 2 – connect those nested expressions “Legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes” – (legalize OR law OR legislate) AND “Legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes” – (marijuana OR marihuana OR cannabis) AND “Legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes” – (medicinal OR medical OR illness OR disease OR sickness OR AIDS OR glaucoma)

Strategy #2 – employ special characters if possible (truncation) legal * OR law OR legislat * marijuana OR marihuana OR cannabis medic * OR illness * OR disease * OR sickness * OR AIDS OR glaucoma

Put it all together (legal * OR law OR legislat *) AND (marijuana OR marihuana OR cannabis) AND (medic * OR illness * OR disease * OR sickness * OR AIDS OR glaucoma)

Alternative key concepts (nested), Boolean Operators, and Truncation (legal * OR law OR legislat *) AND (marijuana OR marihuana OR cannabis) AND (medic * OR illness * OR disease * OR sickness * OR AIDS) Alternative key concepts, Truncation/wildcard symbols Boolean / logical operators Spelling variations/ ”synonymous” or alternative terms

Search Strategy Machine For the research question: Does being near electromagnetic field cause cancer?