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Mapping the Field –

Using the Library

• Use the library’s Subject Guide – Education to

find a discipline specific reference book, or…
• Use an ERIC Digest to get an overview of your
topic

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Start Here:
Subject Guides

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Connecting to the
“Subject” database…

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Information Tools
• Decide the kind of information that you need
• Choose the access tool to help you locate it

– Books catalogue
– Articles index or a database
– Government information website

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Websites

To Find: • Use:
– Google Scholar
Current information
– Library subject guides
Gov’t information
– Association,
Shared opinions organization, or
Association and educational institution
portals
Prof’l organization
mission statements,
publications,
philosophies
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Books
• Use
• To find: – library catalogues
historical background, – Borrow via inter-library
loan
major research.
– Google Scholar –
Or the broad scope
books
of your topic
• Search strategy: broad
terms; browse

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Articles
To find: • Use:
Current information – Library indexes and
Focused information databases
Electronic access – Google scholar
Scholarly research • Search strategy
Case studies – More focused
terms using
News reports
advanced search
features of the
index or database
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Ready, Set, Wait!!!

Before you start

searching on Google
Scholar or using a
Library Database, you
need to do one more
step -

Construct a GOOD search strategy

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Natural Language

OK for Google
DOES NOT work with library databases

Example:
– active learning impact student achievement
secondary

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Keyword

MUST USE when searching library databases

Examples of a keyword search:

– (active learning) and (student achievement) and
(secondary)

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Constructing a Keyword Search

AND
OR
$,*
“ ”

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Boolean Operator AND

• AND = LESS
• records must include BOTH concepts
• use “and” between required concepts

active learning AND secondary

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active secondary
learning

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Boolean Operator OR
• OR = MORE
• records must include EITHER concept
• use “or” between synonyms
• enclose synonyms in brackets.

(secondary OR high school)

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Boolean Logic
[Link]

secondary high
school

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Wildcard Symbol
• Rather than:
– engineer or engineers or engineered or engineering

• Use the root of the word plus the wildcard

symbol to find all variations of the word

• Here’s how….

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Shorten the words to the last common letter…

E N G I N E E R
E N G I N E E R S
E N G I N E E R I N G
E N G I N E E R E D

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Use the wildcard symbol on the end of the word root:

E N G I N E E R
E N G I N E E R S
E N G I N E E R I N G
E N G I N E E R E D
E N G I N E E R *

Each database has its own wildcard symbol.

$ ? ! * are the most common…

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Quotation Marks
• Search: Hockey Night In Canada
– retrieves: A day and night in the life of Canada, by
John Hockey.

• Better Search:
– “Hockey Night in Canada”
• retrieves only the specific phrase

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The Brackets also Guide the Search

Use brackets so the search engine executes your

search properly.

ORs go inside brackets

ANDs go between brackets

(high school or secondary) and (active learn$)

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To summarize…
• retrieve MORE
– wildcard symbol
– OR between synonyms
– broader term
• retrieve LESS
– quotation marks
– AND
– more precise term
• retrieve BETTER or more precise results
– Combine the above techniques to build a
complex search query
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End of Module I
• Module 1: Mapping out your area of study and
refining your search.
• Module 2: Using Refworks

• Module 3: Using Library Indexes

• Module 4: Searching using Google Scholar

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Credits
Thanks to Susan Pratt for sharing slides and
ideas; Gavin Lobo for design; and Kate
Gibbings, Education Librarian, for updates

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