Topic 2 Lesson: PART-A - Search Strategies

Topic 2 Lesson: PART-A - Search Strategies

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TOPIC 2 - PART-A: Lesson Completion Conditions and Learning
Objectives
LESSON COMPLETION CONDITIONS:
To successfully complete this lesson and progress onto the web activity assessment for the topic
you will need to satisfy the following completion conditions in order to unlock the dropbox for
submissions:

1. Spend "30mins minimum learning time" exploring this lesson. Any less time spent and
the system will not allow you to access the dropbox.

2. Fully complete the lesson by clicking on the "End Lesson" command button on the last
page of the lesson.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

The Internet has changed the way people use computers and commu nicate
information. In Part A of this topic, you will be introduced to search
strategies to search online search tools. In Part B of this topic, you
will use selected search engines, meta-search engines and subject
directories to find web based information to support your studies.

Upon successful completion of this topic, you should be able

to:

1. Define
the search process – search terms, search strategies and search tools

2. Identify
search terms

3. Develop
search strategies
4. Develop
search strategies to find information on the World Wide Web using search
engines and meta-search engine
PART-A: Introduction to the Search Process – Search Terms,
Search Strategies and Search Tools

1.0 What
is The Search Process
1.1 What Are Search Terms?

Once you receive an assignment question, the first and most important step is to identify the task
topic and focus words. Search terms are derived from the topic and focus words which describe
and specify the main concepts/ideas/themes/subjects of your assignment question.

For example, see the

analysis for the following assignment question:

Discuss the impact of mobile technology on children.

TASK WORDS TOPIC WORDS FOCUS WORDS

discuss mobile impact

technology, children

The
words marked in bold, above, form the beginning of your list of search
terms. The next step, as shown in the concept map below, is to identify
synonyms and related words that further describe and specify the main
ideas of your assignment question so that your search will find a wider
range of relevant information.
Lesson 2 - Question 1

Q1. Study the research question below and identify the topic and focus words (search terms).

Engendering Change: Transforming Gender Roles to enhance Gender equality in the Pacific Islander
Communities.

Which of the following set of search terms best depicts the main ideas of the assignment question above?

Topic Words: Engendering Change, Transforming, Gender Roles, Enhance, Gender Equality,
Focus Words: Pacific Island, Communities.
Score: 0

Topic Words: Gender Roles, Gender Equality

Focus Words: Transforming, Enhance, Pacific Island Communities
Score: 1

Topic Words: Engendering Change

Focus Words: Transforming, Gender Roles
Score: 0

Topic Words: Engendering Change, Transforming, Gender Roles,

Focus Words: Enhance, Gender equality,
Score: 0
1.2 What Are Search Stategies & Techniques?
Search Strategies?

When you have an academic essay or a report to write, a search strategy will help you determine
WHAT, HOW and WHERE you are going to effectively and efficiently search for the required
information. Developing a search strategy involves:

analyzing the research question to understand the need for information and the different
perpectives through which it must be explored;
combining the search terms (topic & focus words) with appropriate search techniques;
using appropriate search tools to conduct the search.

Web Search Strategies in Plain English.avi

Search Techniques?

Once You have identified your key terms, those key terms can be manipulated with search
techniques to find information more effectively.Common search
techniques are Boolean operators, phrase-searching, truncation, wildcards, limiters and field
searching. Click on the command buttons below from left to right (1-6) to explore the six different
search techniques.
1.2.1 Boolean Operators
You probably use Boolean Operators without knowing it when making choices. View the following
video to unlock the knowledge behind using Boolean Operators as part of your search strategy.

Boolean Operators Tutorial.avi

Discuss the impact of mobile technology on children.

Let's consider the above assignment question introduced earlier and use Boolean operators AND,
OR, NOT to combine the keywords and key phrases:
Lesson 2 - Question 2

Q2. Study the assignment question below answer the question that follows.

Engendering Change: Transforming Gender Roles to enhance Gender equality in the Pacific Islander
Communities.

Which of the following search strategies will best enable you to display results related only to gender equality in the
pacific island countries?

"Gender equality" - Pacific

Score: 0

"Gender Equality" +Pacific

Score: 1

Gender+ Equality+Pacific
Score: 0
1.2.2 Phrase-Searching

Phrase searching is a way to find results that contain an exact phrase, i.e. terms that are located
side by side, and in a specific order. Phrase searching allows you to locate terms that have a
distinct meaning when put together as a phrase, as opposed to individual keywords that do not
have to be located right next to each other.

GIS IL Tutorial - Phrase Searching.avi

To conduct a phrase search, simply place your phrase in quotation marks, " ”. For example,
the search phrase "mobile technology” will locate all results with the phrase "mobile technology”.
However, entering the terms mobile and technology as individual keywords, without quotation
marks, will separately locate these terms.

Note:

The availability of phrase searching can depend on the search tool being used. Check the HELP section.
1.2.3 Truncation

To "truncate” means to shorten. A truncation symbol (usually *) lets you search for words with
various endings, and thereby increases the likelihood of finding more information on your topic. For
example, the following search terms can be truncated as follows:

Search term

Truncated search term

Search terms to be found

technology technolog* technology

technologies

technological
teenagers teen* teens

teenage

teenager

teenagers

Keyword Searching Using Truncation.avi

Note:

1. The truncation symbol can vary from one search tool to another, so be sure to look in the HELP section to
confirm which symbol is used. Other commonly used truncation symbols include: ?, !, +, $, #.
2. Use the truncation search technique with care as you may get a lot of irrelevant records.
1.2.4 Wildcards

This is like truncation but rather than allowing for variation at the end of a word, it allows for
variation in a character in the middle of a word.

A wildcard symbol "? " is especially useful for spelling variations between UK and US English. For
example, just as Britain has organisations, not organizations, a British study of adolescents may
use the term behaviour, instead of behavior. Thus, behavio?r will search for both behaviour and
behavior.

Google Wildcard Search.avi

Note:

1. Once again, because search tools are not consistent with the symbols they use for the search techniques, it is
best to check the HELP section to determine the exact wildcard symbols and rules.

Links & Files

Google Scholar Help ProQuest Wildcard Help Ebsco Wildcard Help LexisNexis Wildcard Help
1.2.5 Limiters
Limiters

Limiters restrict a search to particular criteria. Common limiters include date, language, file format, place and author. For
example, "mobile technology" AND (publication date) 2005-2011, would find information that is on mobile technology that
was written between 2005 and 2011.

Filter and refine your Google Search results.avi

Google phrase searching and domain limiter.avi

Use search operators and symbols to narrow down results. See examples
below:
Image Source: Google HELP

Note:

1. The availability of limiters can depend on the search tool being used. Check the HELP section to find out the
types of limiters supported by the search engine you're using.
1.2.6 Field Searching
Field Searching

Field searching can be used to find words in a specific field of a record, such as the title, author,
subject, index, abstract, full text. For example, by typing intitle:teenagers as the field for the search
term 'teenagers' will only find information that have the word 'teenagers' in the title. View the video
below that explores advanced search operators supported by Google which also translates to
many other web search engines.

How to Use Advanced Google Search Operators.avi

Note:

1. The availability of field searching depends on the search tool being used. Check the HELP to find out the types
of field searching available
1.3 What Are Search Tools?
When searching information for academic research, you will need to use the following tools in
order to identify relevant information resources to satisfy the information need:

Search engines, and meta-search engines - enable you to search the World Wide Web
and are useful for obtaining quick information on a topic.
Academic subject directories - enable you to search for authoritative websites which
have been selected, evaluated and classified by specialists, thus, are an excellent place to
start researching a topic on the web.
Library catalogue - enables you to search your library's collection for resources such as
books, journals, reports and DVDs or CDs.
Full-text databases - enable you to search for full text of journal articles, usually in pdf or
html format.

In Part: B of Topic 2 Lesson these search tools are explored in more detail.
Lesson 2 - Question 3

Q3. The key terms from the assignment question have been listed below.

Computers have had a significant impact on education in the 21st century. Discuss the changes they have made.

Key Terms

Computer
education
21st century

impact

Match the key terms with their appropriate synonyms from the list below to generate an effective
search strategy

Please make sure that the meaning of the assignment question does not change when the
synonyms are incorporated into the search strategy.

congratulation!!!

Score: 1

Incorrect please Try Again !!!!

Score: 0
Computer
Score: 0

21st century
Score: 0

education
Score: 0

impact
Score: 0
Lesson 2 - Question 4

4. Which of the following is an appropriate search strategy for the following topic:

"Discuss the effects of fast food advertising on children”

Fast food OR junk food

Score: 0

Fast food AND advertisements AND children

Score: 1

Fast AND junk food

Score: 0

Fast food AND advertising

Score: 0
Lesson 2 - Question 5

Q5. Which of the following is a quick and an effective Google web basic search strategy to
retrieve the
definition of the term "anaerobic organism”?

Define “anaerobic organism”

Score: 0

Define anaerobic organism

Score: 0

Define: anaerobic organism

Score: 1

Definition of anaerobic organism

Score: 0
Lesson 2 - Question 6
Which of the following is the best search strategy for the assignment question below?

"Discuss the impact of mobile technology on children"

discuss AND impact AND mobile technology AND children

Score: 0

impact AND mobile technology AND children

Score: 0

impact AND “mobile technology” AND children

Score: 0

impact AND “mobile technolog*” AND child*

Score: 1
 End of Topic 2 Lesson - PART-A
Please note by clicking on the "End Lesson" button below you are just completing PART-A
of the Topic 2 Lesson. You will then need to proceed with completing Part-B of Topic 2
Lesson. Please note that you need to complete both Part-A and Part-B of Topic 2 lesson as
per the completion conditions in order to gain access to the Topic 2 Quiz.

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