Searching as Strategic Exploration
đŻ Objectives
- Explore strategies and resources that will help you conduct both background and scholarly research.
- Create a RefWorks account to organize your sources.
- Assignment: Find two resources relevant to your research topic.
Keywords and Boolean Operators
Watch the following two videos to learn how to use relevant keywords and Boolean operators when searching for sources.
â If the videos don't load correctly, reload the webpage to fix the problem.
Background Research
Background research is simply using reliable sources to learn about your topic. Donât be afraid to take the time to learn more about your topic and start thinking about what aspects of the topic you want to focus your research and writing on.
It is important to note that just because you have selected a research topic doesnât mean that your topic is set in stone. Anytime during the research process, you can make changes to the topic of your paper.
Have fun learning more about your topic of interest. Below are some helpful resources to use when conducting background research. Choose at least two of the below options to read through.
Click through the following four slides to learn how to best use Wikipedia.
The Opposing Viewpoints database by Gale might be one of the most helpful resources for you as you research. Watch this video to get acquainted. (Youâll be glad you know how to use it.)
The Opposing Viewpoints database can help you understand many of the perspectives of current issues being discussed by people today.
Pew Research Center is a great non-partisan resource for finding data on public opinion and demographic trends. Its findings are available free to the public.
Like many of the other databases, Pew Research has filters that allow you to narrow your search results. You can narrow it by date, type of source, region, and more.
Google can be a great resource when conducting background research about a topic.
Evaluate Sources
Not all information that you find on Google will be true. Make sure to focus on the most reliable sources. Some of the best sources may be found on the first page of search results, but don't forget that there are often other great results past the first page.
Use Relevant Keywords
Don't ask Google questions. Instead, focus on using keywords that reflect the aspects of the topic you want to learn more about. Doing this will help you find more helpful sources.
Avoid Bias
Make sure to avoid using keyphrases that are biased. For example, if you type âminimum wage problems,â Google tries to give you sources that say minimum wage is a problem. A strong bias is likely already built into the sources you see. Similarly, even though the terms âillegal aliensâ and âimmigrantsâ are getting at a similar concept, searching one term over the other will lead you to very different results.
So when using Google:
- Be mindful of the keywords you use to search
- Be critical of the sources Google provides you with
- Look past the first page đ
Download a transcript version of the tabs and slides here.
Scholarly Research
Once you have conducted background research and have an idea of what your research topic is, you can start focusing on scholarly research. Scholarly research is your opportunity to dive into the nitty-gritty details of your topic. Remember this part of research is still considered learning. Enjoy the learning process. In doing this type of research, you will be searching for scholarly sources such as books, peer-reviewed journal articles, and valid data sets.
One of the best ways to find scholarly sources that relate to your topic is by using scholarly databases. Databases can help you search in a more focused environment. Itâs like walking into a shoe store instead of walking into a mall. Youâll find some new kicks quicker. đ
Below, you can learn about specific databases and other resources that you can use to find scholarly sources. Read through at least two of the options. Make sure that one of the options is Academic Search Ultimate because you will be using that database to complete the final activity.
Click through the following three slides to learn how to use Academic Search Ultimate.
Click through the following three slides to learn how to use Google Scholar.
Statista is great for finding understandable statistics in over 80,000 topic areas. You can download graphs and charts directly from Statista to include in your research papers. Some statistics are included in reports that you can download as PDFs in order to gather the information you need.
Click through the following three slides to learn how to access Subject Research Guides on the BYU Library Website.
Download a transcript version of the tabs and slides here.
âNote: There is not a hard-fast rule that each of these resources can only be used for either background or scholarly research. You may find that some of the resources listed can be used for both.
Set up a RefWorks account
As you're looking through all the many resources available to you, it can be hard to keep track of everything that you find, but don't worry! There are a lot of great tools out there to organize your articles and sources, and you get access to one through the BYU Library.
As part of your homework, create and learn how to use a RefWorks account. Click on the buttons below to learn how to sign up for and use RefWorks.
This document will walk you through the process of creating a free RefWorks account. Take a few minutes to set up an account.
Watch the following YouTube video for a brief explanation of how to use RefWorks.
đ It is important that you create a RefWorks account at this time. You will need to be able to access your account when you visit the BYU library as part of your WRTG 150 course. Please write down your login information and make a note of the RefWorks website so you are ready to use it in the future. You may even consider bookmarking the RefWorks website in your browser.
Your turn to search!
Use keywords and Boolean operators to find 2+ helpful resources related to your topic in the Academic Search Ultimate database.
Follow these steps to access the Academic Search Ultimate Database:
1. Click on this link to access the database via The BYU Library's website.
2. Click on "Academic Search Ultimate" in the tan box.
3. If prompted, log in using your BYU NetID and password.
4. Once in the database, find and click on "Advanced Search."
Now, follow these steps to complete the activity:
1. Perform your first search using just one keyword related to your topic. Look at the number of results and read some of the article titles. Do they seem like they will be helpful?
2. For your second search, add a Boolean operator and another keyword. Notice how the results change.
3. Next, change either a keyword, a Boolean operator, or both. Keep adjusting things until you find 2 sources you can use to learn more about your research topic.
What Have We Learned
- Use keywords and Boolean operators when searching for sources.
- Background research is simply using reliable sources to learn about your topic.
- You can use resources such as Wikipedia to conduct background research.
- Scholarly research is your opportunity to dive into the nitty-gritty details of your topic.
- You can use resources such as academic books, peer-reviewed journal articles, and valid data sets to conduct scholarly research.
- A citation managing tool, such as RefWorks, can be used to store and organize the many sources that you find.