A PROBLEM

A PROBLEM-SOLVING PROCESS FOR ELECTRONIC SEARCHES

1. What are my questions? What do I need to know?

2. What search words will help me locate information?

3. What are the narrowest, most specific terms, ones that most closely match my questions?

4. Circling keywords in my research questions may be helpful.

5. Are there synonyms for these search words—words that mean almost the same thing?

6. What are some broader terms that may include some information on my topic?

7. What kind(s) of information do I need?

a. Brief overview

b. Short answer to simple question

c. In-depth information

d. Data—facts, numbers, statistics

e. Opinion

8. What search tools will I use to locate information?

a. OPAC—On-line Public Access Catalog

b. Reference CD-ROMs

c. World Wide Web search engines

d. World Wide Web sites with links to other useful sites

9. What types of searches are available on each tool, and which ones will be most useful to me?

a. Subject

b. Author

c. Title

d. Keyword

e. Boolean (allows combining search words with terms and, or and not)

f. Full text

g. Call Number

10. How can I find out more about how a search tool works?

a. Are there “search tips” included in the tool that I can read?

b. Are there on-screen directions?

c. Are there pull-down menus that may contain useful options?

d. Is there a help feature?

e. Will I need to ask someone for help?

Search not going well? See “FIRST AID FOR ELECTRONIC SEARCHING.”

FIRST AID FOR ELECTRONIC SEARCHING

What to do WHEN YOU

DO NOT FIND ANYTHING ON YOUR TOPIC

1. Have someone check your spelling.

2. Do not use “The” or “A” or “An” when it is the first word in a title.

3. Apply the “plurals rule”

a. always use plurals on the OPAC, e.g., tigers not tiger

b. avoid plurals on the Web, e.g., dog, not dogs

4. Remember, last names come first on the OPAC e.g., Lincoln, Abraham, not Abraham Lincoln.

5. The OPAC has rules about words that can be used as subjects, for example, automobiles, not cars; agriculture, not farming.

6. If searching on the OPAC, try broadening your topic. For example, a book on China may have a section on Buddhism. Then use the book’s index and table of contents to locate information.

7. Sometimes a title keyword search on the OPAC brings results when nothing else will.

8. Using “and” limits results to items containing all search words. You may really want “or”—it means an item must have only one of the words.

9. If searching on the Web, try broadening your search by using * to include all possible endings for a search word, for example, migrat* for migration, migrate, migrates, migratory.

10. If searching on the Web, try another search engine. Different engines yield different results.

11. If you have used only one search tool, try a different one: the OPAC, the Web, reference CD-ROMS, the magazine index on CD-ROM.

12. Ask a library staff member to suggest some reference books or alternative search words.

What to do WHEN YOU

FIND VERY LITTLE ON YOUR TOPIC

1. If you have found a book on your topic, use its call number to:

a. look for other books with the same number on the nonfiction shelves

b. look for other books with the same number in the reference section

c. do a call number search on the OPAC to locate books in other libraries, then request them through interlibrary loan

2. On the OPAC, at the bottom of the “Full Display” screen for a book title, you will find the other subjects for that title. Try searching using these subjects.

3. If you have found a site on the Web, check to see if it has links to other sites. Run your mouse over possible linking words: double click when a little hand appears over a word.

4. Look for links in CD-ROM articles, too.

5. Review the suggestions for “What to do WHEN YOU DO NOT FIND ANYTHING ON YOU TOPIC”

What to do WHEN YOU

FIND TOO MUCH ON YOUR TOPIC

This is for those times when the screen says “752 results.”

1. Try narrowing your search using “and” to add search words that more precisely define what you are looking for, for example, not just hockey, but hockey AND rules.

2. Limit your search with “not,” for example, dolphin NOT football.

3. If you used a keyword search on the magazine index CD-ROM, try a subject search.

REMEMBER, IT IS A SIGN OF INTELLIGENCE TO ASK FOR HELP WHEN YOU NEED IT.

Buddhist Sin Tak College.