EDTD 5101/5102 - Walker - Secondary Education - Research Guides at Augusta University

Combining Multiple Search Techniques

Can you combine multiple search techniques to save time?

It depends on the database. Some databases will allow you to construct a complex search query which utilizes several search techniques. Other databases 'can't handle' operating too many techniques.

The easiest way to tell is trial and error.

Start with a simple search, then gradually layer it with more and more search techniques to see how much the database can 'handle' at once.

Example: GALILEO can handle complex search queries. Try it yourself:

Search Field 1: "racial stereotyp*"

Field 2: AND media OR television OR "pop culture"

Field 3: AND children OR teenage* OR adolescent

Field 4: AND teach* OR strateg * OR interven * OR techniques

Field 5: NOT "middle school" OR "elementary school" OR "primary school"

However, another database might not be able to handle such a combination of search techniques.

GALILEO searches across all of the Libraries' databases at once.
Enter a few keywords and/or "key phrases", or search by title or author > Search or hit Enter/Return

Find articles in databases - a "medium level" search

Top databases
Additional databases

Why search within an individual or a set of databases rather than GALILEO?

As GALILEO covers a wide range of disciplines, searching within an individual, or a small set of subject-specialty databases can be more on target and efficient. It is worth trying GALILEO first, and then run a similar search in a subject database/set of databases.

Did you know EBSCOhost databases can be searched together?
Enter one of the EBSCOhost databases below> Select 'Choose Databases' > Select desired databases > OK.

Education Database (Proquest)

ProQuest Education Journals gives users access to over 790 top educational publications, including more than 615 of the titles in full text.
Education Source
Education Source offers the largest and most complete collection of full-text education journals and encompasses an international array of English-language periodicals, monographs, yearbooks, and more to meet the needs of education students, professionals and policy makers. It covers all levels of education - from early childhood to higher education.
ERIC (at EBSCOhost)

A database covering all aspects of education and educational research.
Child Development and Adolescent Studies
Child Development & Adolescent Studies™ provides references to the current and historical literature related to growth and development of children through the age of 21. This database includes all of the issues of Child Development Abstracts & Bibliography from 1927 - 2001 previously published by the Society for Research in Child Development, plus new coverage on child rights and welfare issues. Book reviews and abstracts from hundreds of journals and a bibliography of thousands of technical reports, books, book chapters, theses and dissertations covering biomedical and social sciences worldwide are indexed in this database.
Professional Development Collection (education)
Professional Development Collection is a specialized collection of journal articles and pamphlets especially for professional educators that includes abstract and index coverage for 800 professional development titles and searchable full text for over 500 journals covering the most current topics in the field of education.

Did you know EBSCOhost databases can be searched together?
Enter one of the EBSCOhost databases below> Select 'Choose Databases' > Select desired databases > OK.

ERIC (at www.eric.ed.gov)
ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education, provides access to education literature to support the use of educational research and information to improve practice in learning, teaching, educational decision-making, and research. The ERIC website is available to the public for searching more than one million citations going back to 1966.
JSTOR

Provides electronic access to back issues (from the date of first publication) of selected, core journals, organized into the Arts and Sciences Collections I & II, the General Sciences Collection, the Ecology and Botany Collection, and the Business Collection.
Project Muse
Project Muse similar to JSTOR, is a full-text journal database for over 100 journals in the fields of literature and criticism, history, the visual and performing arts, cultural studies, education, political science, and gender studies.
PsycARTICLES

PsycARTICLES, from the American Psychological Association (APA), includes full-text, peer-reviewed scholarly and scientific articles in general psychology and specialized basic, applied, clinical, and theoretical research in psychology.
Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection

Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection includes articles from 410 full-text journal covering information concerning topics in emotional and behavioral characteristics, psychiatry & psychology, mental processes, anthropology, and observational & experimental methods.
PsycINFO

The American Psychological Association's (APA) resource for abstracts of scholarly journal articles, book chapters, books, and dissertations, is the largest resource devoted to peer-reviewed literature in behavioral science and mental health. The database also includes information about the psychological aspects of related fields such as medicine, psychiatry, nursing, sociology, education, pharmacology, technology, linguistics, anthropology, business, law, and others.
Social Science Database (ProQuest)
ProQuest Social Science Journals is a definitive resource for those who need access to a variety of scientific journals. The database includes over 570 titles, with more than 340 available in full text. ProQuest Social Science Journals provides information on hundreds of topics,

Develop a search strategy - with example Search Query development

The table below outlines search techniques to help you find more relevant results. Go to each tab to find out more about each one.

The examples given are for searching the following research question:

How can we recreate a Finish type school in our area? What is the reasoning for this request? What is an example we could use? What are arguments against this system?

Firstly, identify your key concepts: For example:
- Finish Secondary School
- Reasoning
- Arguments against

Identify any keywords or "key phrases" from your key concepts. For example:

"Finish Secondary School"
Advantages
Disadvantages

Brainstorm any synonyms or related keywords or key phrases for your original keywords / key phrases (if applicable). For example:
- "Finish Secondary School" - "Finish High School", "Finish Secondary Education System"
- Advantages - Benefits, Pros
- Disadvantages - Cons

Identify which sites you want to try first to undertake your search. For example:

GALILEO
GIL-Find Catalog
Individual Education Databases like the ones in the box below

Undertake a search with a set of keywords / key phrases. For example:
- "Finish Secondary School" AND advantages

Search, revising where necessary, and utilizing different techniques.
- Revise your search - example, maybe it is easier to search for advantages first, then do a search of disadvantages later
  - "Finish Secondary School" AND advantages
- Build up your search with synonyms, to expand your results AND Benefits OR Advantages
  - "Finish Secondary School" OR "Finish High School"
  - AND Advantages OR Benefits
- Apply the search techniques listed below, wherever applicable to find more relevant results

Revise and run your searches again, until you have gathered enough desired results

Search Techniques for possible inclusion in Search Strategy	Format	Example
Exact Phrase Searching	"key phrase"	"Finish secondary education"
Boolean Operators	AND, OR, NOT	Search Field 1: "Finish secondary education" OR "Finish high school" Search Field 2: advantages OR benefits OR strengths
Subject Headings (AKA descriptors)	Sometimes appears in CAPS LOCK. Has dashes to show sub-headings. The official terms or phrases that an indexer has tagged each resource with within a database, to describe what the resource is about.	Education, Secondary -- Cross-cultural studies
Truncation Device	Searches for multiple word endings so you don't have to type out all of them. Typically an asterisk, i.e. * May vary according to database	"Finish secondary education" AND (advantag* OR benefi* OR strength*)
Wildcard Substitutes or adds a character.	Varies according to the database. In GALILEO and EBSCOhost databases, it's a pound symbol, i.e. # In other databases, it may be a question mark.	"Finish secondary education" AND (advantag* OR benefi* OR strength) AND "STE#M* education" This will find STEM education OR STEM Education.

Exact Phrase Search

What it does	The format	Example/s
Will retrieve results containing your "key phrase" in the order that you have inputted at least once in the record details or the item contents	"Key phrase"	"racial stereotypes" will find the phrase 'racial stereotypes' at least once in the record or the full-text. It won't separate the terms.

Boolean Operators

What they do	The format	Example
Boolean operators are 'connectors'. They combine keywords or key phrases in order to narrow or expand your search. In a simple search, if you use no Boolean Operator, the default operator is typically AND.	AND OR NOT	1st search field: "racial stereotypes" 2nd field: children OR adolescents 3rd field: media OR television OR film 4th field: deconstruction OR strategies OR interventions

Parentheses

What they do	The format	Example/s
Parentheses direct the search engine to perform your search in a certain order. They are great for expanding your search by combining synonyms and then connecting groups of synonyms with a Boolean Operator.	Example: (keyword/phrase BOOLEAN OPERATOR keyword/phrase) BOOLEAN OPERATOR (keyword/phrase BOOLEAN OPERATOR keyword/phrase)	"racial stereotypes" AND (children OR adolescents OR youth) AND (media OR television OR "pop culture") AND (strategies OR interventions OR deconstruct)

Truncation

What it does	The format	Example
Enter part of a keyword and place the truncation symbol at the end. The database will return results that include any ending of that partial word.	Typically an asterisk i.e. * May vary from database to database.	"racial stereotyp" AND (child OR adolescents) AND (media OR television OR "pop culture") AND (strateg* OR deconstruct* OR interven) ** "racial stereotyp" will retrieve "racial stereotypes" and "racial stereotyping" child will retrieve child, children, childhood, etc. strateg* will retrieve strategy, strategies, etc.

Wildcard

What it does	The format	Example
A wildcard will substitute a symbol for one letter of a word. Great for including spelling variations of a keyword in your search.	Typically a question mark: ? May vary according to the database. Consult the database's 'Help' or 'Search Tips' page to verify the wildcard symbol.	behavio?r will retrieve behavior, behaviour

Secondary Education: EDTD 5101/5102 - Walker

EDTD 5101 Course SubGuide

Combining Multiple Search Techniques

Find articles in databases - a "medium level" search

Why search within an individual or a set of databases rather than GALILEO?

Develop a search strategy - with example Search Query development

Search Techniques for possible inclusion in Search Strategy

Format

Example