1. GNED008 Week 3 Forming Research Questions & Concept Mapping Catherine Kwok Library Reference lbckwok@ust.hk

2. Outline Isn’t Google enough? Analyze a research topic How to convert a topic into keywords? – related terms, synonyms, broader terms, narrower terms Build search statement / complete a search form in a database – boolean connectors, truncation, etc. 2

3. Isn’t Google Enough? Google search results: best on top Not all good information comes free on the Web Often, the best information source is available via paid databases. Most databases do not support Google or natural language. You will get zero hits! 3

4. Develop Your Topic Understand the context & issues involved, look for inspiration: – Check out an overview in general or subject encyclopedias. – Grab a handbook/textbook and check out the table of contents. – SmartCat Type “air pollution” Expand Subject on the right. 4

5. Test the Water Try these databases to see how much or how little is there: – Library catalog for books and media – ProQuest / Academic Search Premier for general HSS topics – Business Source Premier for business topics – LexisNexis Academic for news Pick up new ideas and refine your topic. 5

6. Refine your Topic Choose a focus or angle with a manageable scope. – Narrow a topic, eg.,"air pollution"  "air pollution in Hong Kong“ or “air pollution and respiratory diseases in Hong Kong” – Broaden a topic, eg., "acid rain impact on Lamma Island in Hong Kong"  "acid rain impact on the environment in Hong Kong” 6

7. Drugs: Find a Focus Drug use among teenagers – social, education Drug addicts and psychology Athletes and drug use – sports ethics Drug trafficking – social, political, legal Drugs laws – legal Drugs research & development for bird flu – medicine, pharmacology Your focus will affect choice of databases. 7

8. Concepts and Keywords Translate your research question to concepts and keywords to help the database understand what you are looking for. 8

9. Consider This Your topic: Investigate the effects of secondhand smoke on health. What are the main concepts? Think of keywords for each concept 9

10. Map Keywords to Concept Secondhand, smoke, health Secondhand  Smoke  Health  10

11. Map Keywords to Concept Secondhand, smoke, health Secondhand  passive, secondhand Smoke  smoking, tobacco, cigarettes, nicotine Health  illness, disease, sick, cancer, tumor, etc. 11

12. Keywords – Dos Synonyms, ie., words with similar meaning – e.g., disease, illness /passive, secondhand Related terms – e.g., smoking, nicotine Broader terms, narrower terms – e.g., diseases, cancer, tumor [Go to librarything.com  Search “harry potter”  member tags] 12

13. Keywords – Don’ts Type the whole sentence Include articles, prepositions, and unimportant terms such as "problem", "effect“,”influence,” “discuss,” “investigate” 13

14. Tools of Keyword Search Boolean Operators – AND – OR Truncation Symbol Proximity Operator Brackets (parentheses) 14

15. Boolean Operators AND – All keywords must appear in the record – Narrow a search; find less e.g., health AND smoking Or – Any one or two or all of the keywords should appear – Broaden a search; find more e.g., smoking OR tobacco Or nicotine 15

16. Truncation Means "make something shorter". Use a symbol to retrieve the various endings of words beginning with a common word root. Different databases use different symbols for truncation. The most common symbols are * and ?. Some use ! or $ signs. Not applicable to Chinese. 16

17. Truncation- examples 17 Econom* will retrieve Economy Economic Economics Economical Economist Economists Pollut* will retrieve Pollutes Polluted Polluting Pollution Pollutant Pollutants Use it to catch all relevant records.

18. Write The Words That Can Be Retrieved 18 Computer*

19. Do Not Over Truncate Pol* will get – politics, political, polymer, polytechnic, pollution, etc. Uni* will get – unity, united, union, universe, university, etc. How to truncate? – university – politics 19

20. Do Not Over Truncate Pol* will get – politics, political, polymer, polytechnic, pollution, etc. Uni* will get – unity, united, union, universe, university, etc. How to truncate? – universit* – politic* 20

21. Proximity Operator 21 Use to specify the word distance between search terms. So that they are close together  more relevant. Useful in full-text searching. Always check online help / search guide ultraviolet within 5 cancer ultraviolet w/10 cancer ultraviolet n20 cancer

22. Brackets Put related terms in brackets to specify priorities in searching. Terms within brackets will be processed first. 22 Health and (smok* or tobacco or nicotine) What happens if you don’t use brackets?

23. Build Search Statements (health or disease) and (smok* or tobacco or nicotine) and (secondhand or passive) pollut* and (air or water or noise) (Skyscraper* or highrise* or tall building*) and urban development ( 中醫 or 中藥 ) and 管理 Tips: connect related, synonyms, broader/ narrower terms with OR, connect different concepts with AND. 23

24. Which is Incorrect? Your research topic is "Sociology on and about the Internet.“ i.internet and sociology and sociological and sociologic ii.internet and (sociology or sociological or sociologic) iii.internet and sociolog* 24

25. Which is Incorrect? Your research topic is "Sociology on and about the Internet.“ i.internet and sociology and sociological and sociologic ii.internet and (sociology or sociological or sociologic) iii.internet and sociolog* 25

26. How to Broaden? You obtained just 3 records for a search on the phrase moblie phone market 1.phone OR telephone 2.mobile phone market w/10 competition 3.(mobile OR cell* OR portable) AND (phone* OR telephone*) 4.mobile phone* OR cell* phone* 26

27. How to Broaden? You obtained just 3 records for a search on the phrase moblie phone market 1.phone OR telephone 2.mobile phone market w/10 competition 3.(mobile OR cell* OR portable) AND (phone* OR telephone*) 4.mobile phone* OR cell* phone* 27

28. How to Narrow? You obtained over 1,000 records for a search on rain 1.rain* 2.rain AND acid AND pollut* 3.acid rain w/20 pollution 4.rain OR acid OR pollution 28

29. How to Narrow? You obtained over 1,000 records for a search on rain 1.rain* 2.rain AND acid AND pollut* 3.acid rain w/20 pollution 4.rain OR acid OR pollution 29

30. Search Tips To BroadenTo NarrowTo Create Sets Use Or to connect related terms and synonyms Use And to connect different concepts Put related terms or synonyms within brackets and combine sets Change long phrases into shorter ones or single words Use phrases instead of single words Use truncation symbol Use proximity operator 30

31. Discuss the impact of computers on teenagers What are the keywords? Think of synonyms or related terms Any broader or narrower terms? 31

32. What are the keywords? Discuss the impact of computers on teenagers

33. Brainstorm for Terms (Synonyms, Broader, Narrower, Related terms) Computers Teenagers 33

34. Build Search Statements ”Discuss the impact of computers on teenagers ” 34 Set 1: computer, internet, web, www, cyber, online games Set 2: teenager*, young people, students, adolescen* (computer* or internet or web or cyber*) and (teenager* or young people or adolescen*)

35. Homework 2 You have to submit a paper related to: Genetically modified food It is too broad. Refine your scope. Write down your research question. Write down your mapping of concepts and keywords Build two valid search statements using And, Or, truncation, brackets. Email your answers to LBCKWOK by 3 March The subject line should read: [your name] GNED 008 - HW-2 35