Fundamentals of Research I (UA Lakewood): Home

Brainstorming 

Take some time to think about your key terms and how they may appear in a database's search results.

Brainstorm your key terms and consider:

• Synonyms or terms that mean the same thing.  Think of all of the ways the concept may be written about in the literature.
• Word endings and word variations.  Databases may need you to enter terms using truncation or wildcard characters in order to retrieve these variations.

Examples:

• Veterans: veteran, veterans, military, soldiers, servicemen

• PTSD: PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder

• Youth: children, young adults, teens, teenagers, adolescents

Search Strategies

Develop an online search strategy using appropriate Boolean operators, proximity operators, and truncation / wildcard characters.  

• (Veteran* or military or servicemen) and (PTSD or post traumatic stress disorder)
• (youth or child* or adolescen*) and foster N2 (transition* or aged out)

Expanders

Many Ebsco databases include the expander "Apply Equivalent Subjects" that are automatically selected by default when performing unqualified keyword searches.  This may be helpful with relevancy of results and discovery of terms in the established subject headings in the controlled vocabulary.

Limiters

Each database will include limiters that are specific to the discipline. 

Note: If you are in the habit of searching multiple databases simultaneously, you may be missing out on limiters that are specific to individual databases.

PsycInfo

For example, in the PsycInfo database, here are recommended limiter helpful to this specific assignment:

• References available
• Academic journals
• Publication date (2005 - 2020)
• Methodology (empirical study)

Additional PsycInfo limiters that may apply to your particular search include:

• Language
• Gender
• Age
• Population

Medline

The Medline database also includes the following limiter that may be helpful to your particular search:

• Geography (United States)

Social Science Citation Index (SSCI)

Consider using these limiters:

• Document type (article)
• Timespan (Custom year range 2005 to 2020)

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Helpful guides to citation styles:

• The Smucker Learning Center's documents and information
• Style Guides in the Library's collection:
  • LB 2369 .G53 2016  MLA Handbook
  • BF 76.7 .P83 2020 Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
• Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL): Research and Citation Sources Guides
• How to cite Tweets from EasyBib