714 database & web research

Randall’s Initial Research Question

I want to study how nonprofits use

Electronic mediato solicit

donations

http://www.flickr.com/photos/crystaljingsr/3915514014/

Parse the Question• Pick out keywords– Nonprofits– Electronic media– Solicit– Donations

• Consider relationship between the concepts– All of these are unique concepts– Link with AND

“nonprofits AND electronic media AND solicit AND donations” 1 hit in EBSCO “Trio”

Nonprofits

solicit

donations

Electronic media

1 result at the intersection of these 4 concepts

1

http://guides.lib.unc.edu/matc716

Yipes! 1 result??

• We know intuitively that there should be some articles out there …

• How can we refine & get results?

http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1058971

How Do We Get More?Truncation / wildcard *– donat* = donate, donates, donation, donations– nonprofit* = nonprofit, nonprofits

Look at EBSCO subject terms & add to above– ENDOWMENT*– Internet

More synonyms– E-mail* OR email*– fund-rais*

In English / CMMC-ese• (nonprofit* or non-profit*) AND (electronic

media OR email* OR e-mail* OR Internet ) AND ( donation* OR endow* OR fund-rais* )

nonprofit* or non-profit*

electronic media OR

email* OR e-mail* OR Internet

donation* OR endow* OR fund-rais*

Boolean Search with Synonyms 1,511 articles in EBSCO “Trio”

1,511 results at the intersection of these 2 concepts 1,511

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

http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1058971

How Do We Get More Refine?

• Use the “Subject: Thesaurus Term” on EBSCO’s left

Narrow by Source Type and/or Database

DO NOT Refine by Full-text

Why?Full-text via Find @ UNC

Use Find @ UNC if no pdf, html link

Full-text of articlesomewhere else

Options for gettingfull-text via Interlibrary Loan

If article is not online …

Lather, Rinse, Repeat• Try in different databases– PubMed– PsycINFO

• Try with new search terms

http://www.sxc.hu/photo/110154