Search+Tips

Covers identifying keywords, brainstorming for synonyms and applying Boolean connectors and other search techniques. > Covers searching KentLINK by Keyword, reviewing Boolean connectors and truncation, identifying and searching by Subjects and limiting searches. Covers identifying call number, status and location of items in KentLINK, using building guide to determine on which floor call numbers are found and reading Library of Congress call numbers and finding books on the shelf. Covers accessing research databases (specifically Academic Search Premier [ASP]), searching ASP by keyword, limiting searches, reviewing Boolean connectors and truncation and examining search results. Covers accessing full text in ASP, using "Find A Copy" to find full text, storing and emailing search results and full text and options for Interlibrary Loan. Covers approaches and strategies to evaluating information found on the public web, giving special attention to issues of authorship, accuracy and currency. Provides opportunities to test comprehension of what constitutes plagiarism at Kent State University and offers strategies for avoiding plagiarizing. This tutorial covers all basic elements of MLA style as found in the MLA Handbook, 7th edition (2009). This tutorial was delelvoped by Dennis Paoli, Nancy Guerrero, Lauren Yannotta, Ant
 * [|Kent State Library Tutorials]**
 * 1. Developing a Search Strategy: Tips and Tricks
 * 2. KentLink Part 1:Searching for Books by Topics
 * 3. KentLINK Part 2: Finding Books on the Shelf
 * 4. Research Databases Part 1: Searching for articles by Topic
 * 5. Research Databases Part 2: Locating Full Text Journal Articles
 * 6. Evaluating Information on the Web
 * 7. Avoiding Plagiarism
 * 8. MLA Style Tutorial

**Using Google more effectively **
We all love Google but try to get the most out of it by using the following tips:
 * [|Google Scholar]
 * [|Google Cheat Sheet]
 * [|Google Guide for teens] Practice searching using


 * want to find websites of specific domain types? gov, edu, org, mil, ( **non-profit (org) univ/college (edu) gov/t (gov, mil, us) a business (com) foreign (uk, jp, etc.)

Type the word //site:org// OR //site:gov// (no space between the colon and domain type)

//**site:gov** HIV// You will only be directed to government health agencies

//**site:edu** Syria// you will only get information about Syria from academic sites

**Want to know who links to a website you are trying to assess**
look for sites that link to the one you are evaluating by typing //link:thewebsiteyou'reevaluating// (ie. link:www.stormfront.org) remember no space between the colon and the name of the site.

[|The Boolean Machine]
===Boolean searches allow you to combine words and phrases using the words (Boolean operators) AND, OR, NOT and NEAR to limit your search. Though most search tools use Boolean operators, they may express them in a variety of ways, through buttons, pull-down menus, or "+" and" --" signs.=== > AND is especially helpful in more complicated searches to narrow the scope of your search by insisting that all the words are considered in the search. (music AND censorship) > OR will help group synonyms or related words. (heart OR cardiac) > NOT helps eliminate "problem" words. (eagles NOT football)


 * ** Meaning ** || ** Examples ** ||
 * ** AND ** || The AND operator locates articles that contain all of the key words or phrases. || children AND computers ||
 * ** OR ** || The OR operator locates articles that contain at least one of the key words or phrases. || tornado OR cyclone ||
 * ** NOT ** || The NOT operator is used to eliminate articles that contain certain key words or phrases. || basketball NOT college ||
 * ** * ** || Truncation includes alternate word endings such as plurals and tense variations in your query. || farm*

for: farmer, farming, farmland etc. ||
 * ** " " ** || Enclose a phrase in quotation marks to find multiple words appearing next to one another in a specified order. || "affirmative action" ||
 * ** ** || Boolean searches are conducted in the following order of precedence (NOT, AND, OR) unless parentheses are used. Use NOT and OR together to limit your search.

Use AND and OR together to expand your search. || (dolphin NOT fish) OR porpoise

health AND (kids OR children) ||
 * ** Putting it all Together ** || This is an example of how to locate references to the various earthquake(s) in California or Washington, excluding those in San Francisco. || (California OR Washington) AND earthquake* NOT "San Francisco" ||
 * ** Search Methods ** |||| ** Description and Usage ** ||
 * __** Quick Search **__ ||
 * ** Keyword ** |||| Keyword Search is useful when you want to locate articles based upon your own combination of key words and phrases in full-text ||
 * ** Natural Language ** |||| A Natural Language Search is a way of expressing a query in simple language without having to use Boolean operators. Is there life on other planets ||
 * ** Subject Headings ** |||| Subject Headings Search is useful when you have a specific research topic in mind and you want to use a subject index to quickly locate articles related to that topic. ||
 * __** Advanced Search **__ ||
 * |||| Advanced search allows experienced users to search multiple fields including, full-text, author, and title. In addition, graphic caption and proximity searching is available. See the Advanced Search Help Topics for more information on the advanced search methods. ||
 * __** Topic Browse **__ ||
 * |||| Topic browse is useful when you want to search a category for a possible research topic or to narrow down a general topic to a more specific area. Locate documents by exploring categories, topics and subtopics in a multilevel subject tree. ||
 * ** Sorting ** || ** Description ** || ** Usage ** ||
 * ** Relevance ** || Articles that contain the highest number of key words or phrases in your query are returned at the top of the article title list. || Keyword searches are defaulted to return your results by relevance unless you change the setting to date order. ||
 * ** Date ** || Articles are returned in reverse chronological order, with the most recently dated articles at the top. || Subject Headings search results are always returned in reverse date order. ||
 * ** Relevance ** || Articles that contain the highest number of key words or phrases in your query are returned at the top of the article title list. || Keyword searches are defaulted to return your results by relevance unless you change the setting to date order. ||
 * ** Date ** || Articles are returned in reverse chronological order, with the most recently dated articles at the top. || Subject Headings search results are always returned in reverse date order. ||

Search Engines
**Google Scholar [|http://scholar.google.com]** **Google Print [|http://print.google.com]**
 * Clusty [|http://clusty.com] **

**Tutorials**
**[|University of California, Berkeley]**