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ESOL Education: Search like a pro!

A one-stop-shop for finding books, journal articles, and more on ESOL education topics

Database Search Like a Pro...

Up your game in database searching by utilizing these search strategies in library databases, eg., GALILEO, and individual databases, like EBSCOhost databases, ProQuest, and more.

Quick Search Tips

  • Use quotation marks to search for a phrase. For example, "feminist art" or "art brut".

  • Input each phrase or concept in a different box. For example, Michelangelo in the first box and “Sistine Chapel” in the second will find articles about Michelangelo's work on the Sistine Chapel.

  • Set search limits such as scholarly journals, full-text, or document type.

  • Sort results by date or relevance, especially if requested by your professor.

  • Look at suggested subjects to narrow your search.

  • Use truncation, for example, "strateg*" will find results with strategic, strategy, strategies

 

Develop a winning Search Strategy

How to identify key concepts, develop keywords, and key phrases

What are 'keywords' and 'key phrases'?

Keywords and key phrases are the words or phrases that represent the key concepts of your research topic and are the words you would use in everyday life to describe the topic.

  • Keywords - individual words that represent a key concept
  • Key phrase - two or more words that represent a key concept.

Watch the video below OR read the content in the next tab to learn how to identify key concepts, develop keywords and key phrases (or do both). Then check out our example on the last tab.

What are 'keywords' and 'key phrases'?

Keywords and key phrases are the words or phrases that represent the key concepts of your research topic and are the words you would use in everyday life to describe the topic. Keywords and key phrases are not filler words, stop words, or connector words - they are the main words that describe the main concepts of your topic.

  • Keywords - individual words that represent a key concept.
  • Key phrase - two or more words that represent a key concept.

 

How to select useful keywords and key phrases
  1. Identify the key concepts of your research topic.

     

  2. Choose the keywords or key phrases that describe these concepts.

     

  3. If you can, brainstorm any:
    • Synonyms or related concepts for your keywords / key phrases - It doesn't matter if you cannot identify any synonyms right away. You might get ideas later. Also, not every keyword / key phrase has an appropriate synonym for it. 

       

    • Spell out any abbreviations that you identified - e.g. ADD = Attention Deficit Disorder

 

Use a table to organize your ideas for keywords and key phrases 

Using a table can be helpful for organizing your thoughts for keywords and key phrases:

  1. Record each concept in a column.
  2. Record any synonyms or any abbreviations spelled out underneath each concept
  Key Concept "A" Key Concept "B" Key Concept "C"

Keyword or key phrase to describe Concept

+ Other keywords or key phrases that can be used

eg. synonyms, abbreviations spelled out, etc.

      
Our Example:

Anna wants to write her annotated bibliography on how social media affects self-esteem in adolescents. 

Anna underlines the key concepts: How social media affects self-esteem in adolescents

These key concepts make good keywords and key phrases. (Reminder - Key phrases are two or more keywords that belong together.) So she writes them down. 

She then records any synonyms or related keywords that she can think of underneath.

 

Key Concept "A"

Key Concept "B"

Key Concept "C"

 

social media

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Snapchat

 self-esteem

adolescents

teenagers

youth

 

 

Search tactics and techniques for searching in GALILEO and other databases - Quick Vids

Be friends with Boolean Operators: AND; OR; NOT. They will help you expand or narrow your search. Befriend the parentheses also - they will tell the databases how to perform your search:

Watch: How to use Boolean Operators - 2 min, 40 secs

Credit: PfauLibrary. Reused under a Creative Contributions Attribution License (reuse allowed)

Use quotation marks for an exact phrase search. E.g. "Reese Library" will search for the words, Reese Library, together, not separate Reese and Library.

Watch: Tips and Tricks: Phrase Searching 1 min video 

Utilize truncation and wildcard techniques on your keywords where relevant and applicable - they will help max your search!

Watch: Truncations and Wildcards - 2 mins, 40 secs video