When initially looking at the literature, some key entry-level questions one should ask includes:
Both scholarly and popular sources have value in research but serve different purposes.
These resources are reviewed by experts, include detailed analysis and methods, and always cite their sources. This makes them highly reliable for evidence-based research. However, their depth and specialized language can make them less accessible to general readers.
Example: A Journal of Clinical Psychology article might report on a controlled study of cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety, with comprehensive data and analysis.
Resources like magazines, newspapers, and websites are more accessible and can be more engaging but often lack the depth and rigorous review of scholarly materials. They're useful for getting a general overview or public perspective.
Example: A Psychology Today article may offer practical anxiety tips based on personal experience or general trends.
Comprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text database, with more than 11,000 full-text periodicals.
When you're looking for information, using various search strategies can help you find what you need, and find it quickly!
Before you start using advanced search strategies, it is important to break your topic or question into some key words.
Example: if you're studying children, you might use words like "children" or "youth" or "kids" because different researchers will use different words to talk about the same thing.
Subject Headings are key terms that act like a tag or label describing what the item (article, book, thesis, etc.) is about. These headings can be created by either the author or the database, and use a standardized list to create a controlled vocabulary.
The following video highlights the difference between Subject Headings and Keywords
Boolean operators are the words "AND", "OR" and "NOT". When used in library databases (typed between your keywords) they can make each search more precise - and save you time!
AND narrows a search by telling the database that what is retrieved must contain all the keywords you typed in. Search for two or more concepts that interest you by combining descriptive keywords with AND, such as "video games" AND "children."
OR broadens a search by telling the database that any of the words it connects are allowed. This is particularly helpful when you are searching for synonyms, such as “climate change” OR “global warming.”
NOT narrows your search by telling the database to eliminate terms from your search results. This can be useful when you are interested in a topic that is discussed in more than one context, such as "jaguar" NOT "car." This search will retrieve results about the animal jaguar but exclude those about the luxury car brand.
Note: Use NOT with caution as good items can be eliminated from the results retrieved.
When exploring resources within the library or specific databases, you're pretty likely to encounter search results that don't really align with your needs. Most databases have ways to limit your searches to full text, by time, type of publication, and other factors. For EBSCO see below, but for other databases look around the page and you should find them.
Screenshot: Below is a screenshot of the filtering in EBSCO.
Video: Or if you prefer, below you will find a video on filtering options in EBSCO.
Want better search results without typing every variation of a word? Use truncation, wildcards, and exact phrasing to expand your searches efficiently.
Truncation lets you search for all forms of a word by cutting it off at the root and adding a symbol (usually with an asterisk *).
Example:
surg* retrieves surgery, surgeries, surgeon, surgical, but also surge.
stud* retrieves study, studies, student, students.
Tip: Be careful! Truncate far enough to catch useful variations — but not so far you bring in unrelated words.
Wildcards replace one or more letters in a word to capture spelling variations.
Example:
wom?n finds woman and women.
colo?r finds color and colour.
Tip: Wildcards are great for regional spelling differences or flexible searches.
If you want to find an exact phrase, put it in quotation marks.
Example:
"climate change" (instead of searching climate AND change)
Note: Some databases may use parentheses instead. Check their Help pages to be sure.
Truncation: *
Wildcard: ?
Truncation: *
Wildcards:
# matches one optional character
Example: colo#r → color, colour
? matches exactly one character
Example: ne?t → neat, nest, next
Truncation: *
Wildcards: Not supported
Truncation: Not supported
Wildcards: Not supported
Tip: Check the Help section of a database to confirm which symbols it uses.
Both quantitative and qualitative data have value and purpose. Look for a variety of evidence to ensure the richness of your research pool.
Quantitative research
Quantitative research involves collecting and analyzing numerical data to understand patterns, relationships, and trends. It focuses on quantifying variables and using statistical methods to draw conclusions.
Qualitative research,
Qualitative research involves gathering non-numerical data through methods like interviews, observations, and open-ended surveys. It aims to explore meanings, perceptions, and experiences, often resulting in rich, descriptive insights.
This video is a great beginner guide to taking notes for research papers. Keep in mind that while he uses MLA citation format, you may need to use APA, Chicago, or another style
Managing sources is a critical skill in evidence-based practice. Keeping track of what you've found, what you liked, what worked, and what didn't (and why) are all important parts of research. Thankfully, there are a number of options help you manage your stuff. See what works best for you here:
