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Summing Up and help!

Lost? Come and speak to us 1-2-1 or in a small group. You can book at the Ask Desk in the library or try

http://askus.edgehill.ac.uk/ for some FAQs

Databases and searching

Lisa McLaren and Helen Miller

lisa.mclaren@edgehill.ac.uk or helen.miller@edgehill.ac.uk

Assignment writing and referencing

Iain Gannon

iain.gannon@edgehill.ac.uk

Planning a Search Strategy

Do

Don't

  • Misspell your keywords!
  • Overlook alternative spellings
  • Use vague keywords

"diabetes" will give you over 5 million results on 'Discover more'

Decide how comprehensive you want the search to be.

Keep a record of your search terms or save your search.

Use the online help.

Refine your search strategy and search terms until you find what you need.

Why Search Skills are important

An information literate person knows when and why they need information, where to find it, and how to evaluate, use and communicate it in an ethical manner (CILIP, 2004).

*Transferrable skills that you can use in employment

* Help with evidence-based health care

The problems

Common mistakes

  • Using the wrong tool
  • Lack of knowledge about how some databases work
  • Not planning a search strategy
  • Huge amount of information on the internet

  • Getting to grips with the library resources

Get searching

Start searching

Choose your database.

You might want Cinahl, Proquest or something more specialized?

You might be informed by

  • Previous research you've done
  • Work by a particular author

You might need the internet - check out the 'Online Research' tab in Your FoHSC Resources on Learning Edge.

Create a search statement

Select the right resources to use

Evaluate your results

Use these three terms to put your search together - don't type a question!

Try truncation to save time e.g. child* will pick up child, children, childhood etc.

Our search statement could look like this:

poverty AND obesity AND children

Getting started

(poverty or unemployment) AND (obesity or overweight) AND (children or childhood)

Too many?

  • You may need narrower terms /keywords or apply limits

Too few?

  • Broader terms or a different tool or re-evaluate your topic

Understanding your question

An example!

  • Are there any unfamiliar terms?
  • Check a subject dictionary or ask your tutor
  • Make sure you understand the terms before searching
  • Define your information need

Example question:

"Discuss the effect of poverty on childhood obesity"

Keywords or Concepts:

poverty, obesity, children

Identify concepts and keywords

Identify synonyms and related terms

  • Pull out the main concepts or keywords from the question
  • Ignore 'discuss' or 'analyse' - this only gives you guidance on how to write it.

For our essay question, how about

poverty or unemployment or debt or hardship

obesity or weight gain or overweight

child or children or childhood or infant or paediatrics

UK vs US terms and spellings

Paediatrics or Pediatrics

Formal vs informal terms

Heart attack or Myocardial infarction

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