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Refining / Improving Results Boolean Operators

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Refining / Improving Results Boolean Operators & Truncation ITOCA / IDS How to improve searching By the end of this session, you will practise using: Search strategy ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Refining / Improving Results Boolean Operators


1
Refining / Improving ResultsBoolean Operators
Truncation
  • ITOCA / IDS

2
How to improve searching
  • By the end of this session, you will practise
    using
  • Search strategy
  • Keywords or Key Phrases
  • Mind-map
  • Search tables (Concept Tables)
  • Searching techniques to improve results
  • Combining searches
  • Grouping terms
  • Boolean Operators
  • Truncation
  • Limits
  • Others?

3
Search Tips
  • Now we have a search table using controlled
    terms
  • Lets consider how best to develop a search
    strategy to improve / refine search results,
    using
  • Word Stems (Truncation)
  • Phrase Searching
  • Field Searching or Limits
  • Controlled Terms
  • Grouping Terms (Boolean Operators)

4
Searching by Word Stem
  • Is there a short way of searching for variants of
    a word, rather than inputting a string of ORs?
    E.g.
  • Child, childhood, children
  • Nutrition, nutritional

5
Searching by Word Stem
  • Truncation
  • Usually , e.g. child, nutrition
  • Sometimes other symbols (e.g. , ?)
  • Wildcard
  • Usually ?, wom?n
  • Could solve problems to do with
    plurals/singulars, spelling variations, and
    variations of a root word

6
Phrase Searching
  • Word searching and phrase searching. If you type
    in more than one term
  • Some systems interpret this as a phrase
  • Some systems give a phrase search option
  • Others interpret this as an AND search (e.g.
    Google, AGORA)
  • If you want to search for a phrase, enclose the
    words in quotation marks, e.g. South Africa
  • Could solve problems of the phrase you searched
    for not appearing

7
Field Searching or Limits
  • Many databases allow you to restrict your
    searches by field or Limits,
  • e.g. Title, Subject key words/phrases, Author
    etc.
  • Could solve problems of getting too many matches

8
Choosing Correct Term
  • Some databases offer a browse function, so you
    can choose terms from a Subject list
  • Probably most effective when combined with a
    field search
  • Could solve problems caused by searching on the
    wrong synonym, or those caused by acronyms.
  • Could solve problems of getting too few matches

9
Grouping terms and combining searches (1)
  • Sometimes you are able to group terms, either
    by
  • Putting them in a separate search box, or
  • Enclosing them in brackets
  • Combining searches
  • Some systems allow you to combine searches that
    you have already done
  • Could solve some problems caused by not getting
    enough matches

10
Boolean searching
  • Allows you to specify how the search terms are
    combined
  • Uses commands (operators) such as AND, OR, NOT
  • Different search tools may use different symbols
    (e.g. for AND, - for NOT)
  • Different search tools may use OR or AND as a
    default setting

11
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12
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13
education
secondary
Query I want to see information about education,
but I want to avoid seeing anything about
secondary
14
Group Practicals Boolean Operators
  • Stand up, if you are
  • Lecturer AND Librarian
  • Librarian AND Trainer
  • Lecturer AND Female
  • Lecturer AND Male OR Female
  • Can you think of any examples?

15
Individual / Pair Activity 20 mins
  • Using the search table you have created
  • Conduct searches using range of search techniques
    (i.e. search strategy)
  • Use a R4L product to find relevant material /
    resources
  • Make observations be prepared to feedback your
    thoughts to the group, at the end of the session
  • Relevant results?
  • Number of results?

16
Search Strategy
  • Strategy 1 - water, health conditions, pollution
  • Strategy 1a - Water AND Health Conditions AND
    Pollut (1,240) Kenya (141) urban areas NOT
    Nairobi (3)
  • Strategy 2 search water, health, pollution
  • Strategy 3 search rivers, diseases, pollution
  • Health problems urbanareas water pollut AND
    Nairobi NOT Mombasa

17
  • urban areas NOT Nairobi
  • Water pollut AND health conditions, KENYA

18
Individual / Pair Activity
  • Think of a real work-related scenario where
    you would be looking for specific information
  • Define your information needs
  • Create a mind-map of the related terms
  • Begin to cluster your concepts / terms
  • Create a search table begin to search for the
    information
  • Use a R4L product

19
Search strategies and techniquesSummary of
search tips
  • Boolean connectors (AND, OR, NOT) to connect
    terms within your search.
  • Quotation marks to specify a phrase or an exact
    match,- e.g. "action research", human rights.
  • Asterix () for truncation e.g. school to find
    schools or schooling.
  • Question mark (?) as a wildcard e.g.
    democrati?ation to find democratisation or
    democratization (note this one is not as
    common as other rules above)
  • Brackets for grouping (determining the order in
    which terms will be combined).
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