research tips getting started

Research TipsGetting Started

RHET 201Gironda

Food and Identity Think of synonyms or other related words: Food, Cuisine, Diet, Sustenance Identity, Culture, Nationalism, Nation,

Region Try some different combinations Use some Boolean operators (AND, OR,

NOT) (food or cuisine) AND (nationalism or

nation) Start with one of the broader databases like

Academic Search Complete or One Search

Identify Key Words

AND is the most common and useful search Connector

Use OR to account for those articles that might refer to your topic using a synonymous phrase

Example: “Capital Punishment” OR “Death Penalty”

Arms OR Weapons Use quotes to enclose a search phrase

Search Connectors, synonyms and Wildcards…oh my!

Use parentheses to make sure the database performs the OR operation first

(“Euthanasia” OR “Mercy Killing” OR “Assisted Suicide”) AND legalization

Parentheses to organize terms

Most databases use * at the end of a word to allow for alternative endings or word variations

Teen* searches for teen, teens, teenage, teenager, etc

? Can be used to replace a letter to allow for alternativesWom?n searches for woman and women.

Wildcards

One Search for a Hodge Podge of everything Academic Search Complete for a wide range

of sources JSTOR for Humanities sources Discipline specific databases like: Business

Source Complete, PsycARTICLES, SOCIndex, Anthropological Index

Lexis-Nexis for newspaper and magazine articles.

Popular and Useful Databases

The library makes abundant support available, take advantage of it!

They provide live research assistance through the help desk as well as an online form for questions and a “chat with a librarian” function.

Link to the Library Guides at AUC Use the other available research guides such

as the Political Science Guide.

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