SLS1320 - Honors Seminar - Sponholtz

When using library source such as the catalog and databases to search for a topic, you will need to adjust your search to include only the main concepts. If you search an entire question, sentence, or thesis, the search tool will try to find exactly what you typed, which usually results in zero or very few results.

When searching, identify the main concepts in your research question or thesis. These are typically the most important concepts that must be included, and concepts are usually 1-2 words. Don't include any 'linking' words like effects, since we want to see how the concepts are linked naturally.

This research question has two main concepts, highlighted and in bold:

How does resilience affect college students?

As you identify keywords, consider if there are other terms for the same concept. It's especially important to consider what the specialized terminology is in a field, since you will be searching scholarly literature. You want to use the same terms the experts are using in your search.

If you are unsure what other terms may be useful, you can try a quick Google search. When you search in library tools, scan through the listed subjects to see if there any terms there that appear to be similar to your concepts. You can also use the thesaurus feature in a database.

For medical terms, the MeSH browser from the National Library of Medicine can help you find official medical terms. MeSH stands for 'medical subject headings' and these terms are used in many medical and scientific journals.

For example, the MeSH browser recommends the more specific term Resilience, Psychological:

If you have a common phrase that must be kept together, place them in "quotation marks." This tells the search tool that the words cannot be separated. Phrase searching is usually used for two words, very rarely for more.

resilience "college students"

Students tend to get frustrated when a search does not have expected results. It's very normal to need to revise a search for better results. Here are some strategies to improve your results.

Problem: There are Zero or Very Few Results

• Check your spelling to ensure all search terms are spelled correctly.
• Remove any quotation marks in your search terms.
• Consider spelling out abbreviations (e.g., use post-traumatic stress disorder instead of PTSD)
• Ensure you have not chosen too many limits on the search screen, such as date etc.
• Ensure that you have distilled your research question or thesis into only the most important concepts, in as few words as possible. What other words could be eliminated?
• Do some quick Google searches to see if there are better terms to use for your concepts.
• Consult a librarian!

Problem: Results Are Not Relevant

• Consider adding more specific terms. Instead of resilience, for instance, try emotional resilience.
• Consider if any phrases can be enclosed in quotes to keep them together. Be sure to only put quote around common phrases!
• Do some quick Google searches to see if there are better terms to use for your concepts.
• Use the search tool's thesaurus or subject feature to discover the terms being used in this database and then do a subject search (see an example in APA PsycInfo, a database we don't have, but the concepts are the same in any EBSCO database).