Online Searching Strategies

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Online Searching Strategies

• Work smarter, not harder!

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Vocabulary (groan)

• Natural language searching
• Just like you talk (remember Ask Jeeves?)
• Allows prepositions, phrases, etc.
• No pre-determined vocabulary
• ? Use with web search engines
• Subject Heading
• Pre-determined vocabulary (Library of Congress is
  often the determining agency)
• Very few phrases (Example foreign words and
  phrases)
• ? Use with online catalog online databases
• Keyword
• Words that are important in describing a topic
• NOT phrases!
• ? Use with online catalog

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More Vocabulary

• Wildcard Characters
• any number of characters
• one character
• Boolean Operators A way to logically control the
  search, i.e., make it broader or more specific
  AND, OR, NOT
• AND
• requires both/all of the search terms to be
  present in the resulting document
• narrows a search
• Example teenagers and clothing

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Boolean (contd)

• OR includes all search terms broadens a search
• Example dogs OR cats
• NOT excludes a specific term
• Example Florida AND hurricanes NOT football
  Florida Hurricanes are a college football team.

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Modified Boolean
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Match your search terms to what youre searching

• Online Catalog uses pre-determined subject
  headings from Library of Congress, as well as
  keywords
• Online database uses subject headings and
  keywords
• Web search engines use natural language

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Searching an Online Catalog

• Remember to choose the type of search Author,
  Subject, Title, Series, General
• Remember that it uses Subject Headings if youre
  performing a Subject search
• Controlled vocabulary
• Examples
• Automobiles, instead of cars
• Cookery, instead of cooking
• Very few phrases
• Usually uses plurals
• Nouns, not adjectives (Example pretty is only
  used with Pretty Boy Floyd)

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General Searching Tips

• Doublecheck spelling!
• Use variations of a word wildcards are helpful
  if allowed
• Broaden your search term if you get zero hits
• Example Try South America Cook if Peru
  Cook doesnt work.
• Narrow your search term if you get too many hits
• Example Try gerbils instead of pets
• Use the Library of Congress Subject Headings set
  in Reference REF 025.49 LIB

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PLAGIARISM CITATION

• If you use the information in any way in your
  paper you have to cite it
• Write it over in your own words
• Quote one sentence
• Copy a whole paragraph

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