Generating Good Search Terms

Modifying your search to get more, better results

Initial Research Question (sample)

Do people read online magazines differently than they do print?

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Parse the Question

• Pick out keywords– Read– Online– Print– Magazine

• Consider relationship between the concepts– Read & Magazines are unique concepts• Link with AND

– Print & Online are similar concepts to each other• Link with OR

read magazine

online or print

Venn Diagram of Keywords

Translates to “Search Engine”

Which is the same as

Number of results?

read magazine

online or print

Venn Diagram of Keywords

4343 results at the

intersection of these 3 concepts

Is That a “Good” Number?

• Hmmm• Probably not.• There should be LOTS

MORE!

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How Do We Get More?

• Truncation / wildcard *– Read* = read, reading, reader, readership– Magazine* = magazine, magazines

• Additional search terms with OR• Look at database search terms for more ideas

read* magazine*

online or print

Venn Diagram of Truncated Keywords

Translates to Search Engine

Which is the same as

read* magazine*

online or print

… with 326 results

326 results at the intersection of these 3

concepts326

How Do We Get More?

• Truncation / wildcard *• Additional search terms with OR• Brainstorm synonyms & related terms– Magazine OR Newspaper*

• Look at database search terms for more ideas

read* magazine* ORnewspaper*

online or print

… with 769 results

769 results at the intersection of these 3

concepts769

Is That a “Good” Number?

• Hmmm• Probably not.• That’s too many to go

through – Too many “false

positives” or articles that aren’t relevant

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How Do We Get More Refine?

• Truncation / wildcard *• Additional search terms with OR• Look at database search terms for more ideas– Use the “Subject: Thesaurus Term” on EBSCO’s left

menu

Database Says …

Refine Search

• Same concept, different words– Readership– magazine* or newspaper*– Internet or online or web sites

• Focus on online first– Most common articles in this set focus on online

news, so …– We set aside the concept of “print” for now & will

come back to it

readership magazine* OR

newspaper*

Internet or online or web sites

Different Words 108 results

108 results at the intersection of these 3

concepts108

Also look at “Subjects” assigned to articles you like

Keep Track of Search Terms

• Read*– Readership

Readership surveys

• Magazine*– Newspaper*

Newspapers – Research

• Online or Internet–News web sites

Search with New Terms

• Try in different databases too– CMMC– PsycINFO

• New databases will suggest new terms, so …

• Lather, rinse, repeat

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