There are different ways to search for information: you might be exploring a topic, looking for specific materials such as a book or an article, or trying to find as much information as possible on a topic.
Ask yourself the following questions:
In this Libguide, you will learn about:
When looking for information, it is useful to work out as early as possible what kind of information you need, as this will determine where you should look. Is the information you need available in a book, magazine, news article, blog, company report or company website, or do you need to look for the information in a thesis or academic journal?
Not all information is suitable for every purpose. Sometimes you will need to find information about the latest developments in your field, and other times you will need to find statistics to back up the information in your report.
Ask yourself the following questions:
There are two different types of sources. These are:
Primary sources
These are sources in their original form, so as the author created them. Examples are books, magazines, newspapers, photographs and films.
Secondary sources
In secondary sources, reference is made to other, primary, sources. Secondary sources can include the primary source, but also keywords, a summary or the language in which the primary source is written. Examples are encyclopedias, dictionaries, textbooks and bibliographies.
UTC Library. (23 January 2019). Source Types. [Video]. You Tube. https://youtu.be/iEKtYwfTuYM?si=uchO1OE1zqLTp3s7
Generating the right search terms (the words that you use to search for information) is an important part of your search strategy.
Look for the corresponding terms for each part of your search question
Example:
You are looking for information about the effect of coffee on studying.
Your main question is: ‘What is the influence of coffee consumption on student study success?’
The main components and alternatives for this question are:
UTS Library. (17 Febrary 2017). Boolean Operators. [Video]. You Tube. http://www.lib.uts.edu.au
In many databases, you can use drop-down menus to select Boolean operators to combine your search terms. The main Boolean operators are:
|
OR |
OR combines search terms so that each search result contains at least one of the terms. |
|
AND |
AND combines search terms so that each search result contains all of the terms. |
|
NOT |
NOT excludes terms. Note that NOT also excludes results in which both search terms are found together! |
The relationship between the search terms is shown in the following diagrams:
You can use (brackets) to indicate which of the operators AND, OR or NOT should be applied first.
Other techniques
The following tips are useful when searching databases and search engines and can help you create a search string (what you enter into the search bar):
Searching for additional material
If you have found one or more useful resources, you can use the following three methods to find additional material about the same subject:
Citation search: Citation searching is an additional search method in which you look at which publications have cited the article that you have found. You can do this by entering the article title in Google Scholar then clicking on 'Cited by' underneath the article.
Using this method you search into the future: the literature that refers to the article is always more recent than the article itself.
Snowball method: The snowball method can also be used as an additional search method. In this case, you look at the reference list in the article you have found to find other publications that may be useful. The disadvantage of this method is that you can only use it to find older materials.
Pearl growing: Pearl growing is a good strategy to use in the orientation phase, when you are unsure which search terms to use. You start a search then look at whether the results, websites or documents that you found contain other and perhaps better search terms.
SEARCH IN SOURCES searches the many academic articles and books to which NHL Stenden has access.
DATABASES: Some databases have extra search options such as the Boolean operators AND, OR or NOT. It can also be useful to search the NHL Stenden library databases, because some of them are not included in the Search in sources search.
CATALOGUE: The catalogue provides an overview of all the books, journals and other physical materials available in the NHL Stenden library. You can see which materials are available and whether you can borrow them, or whether they are on loan to someone else.
Once you have formulated your main question, sub-questions and search questions, it is time to think about search terms. It is very important to use the right search terms. You might be used to filling in any word you think of in the search bar. However, if you can't find the information that you are looking for straight away, you might incorrectly think that the information is not available. If you think more carefully about which search terms to use before you start, you will get much better search results.
Brainstorming can help you come up with search terms
AI tools such as ChatGPT and Copilot are very useful for brainstorming and helping you to find synonyms and related terms. Consider any terms that you find in this way critically, and if you are not sure about a term, check that it is relevant to your search question.
A prompt for text:
A prompt for images:
Example:
"An artistic, realistic illustration taken with a telephoto lens of a solitary cyclist in the polder, enjoying the rising sun, watching the yellow and red rays of sun shine across the landscape."
More information about good prompts:
When using AI tools, be careful about the data you enter
NHL Stenden has drawn up a policy document in response to the rapid developments taking place in the field of generative AI. It is not always clear whether providers of AI comply with the relevant data protection legislation, such as the GDPR. Furthermore, it is not always clear what happens to the data entered and who has access to it. Therefore, do not enter personal data (names, addresses, etc.) or confidential information (such as images, audio recordings, company information, research ideas, etc.). This concerns data of NHL Stenden as well as data of third parties, such as
students, research partners, clients or suppliers, which is traceable to specific persons or organizations. In addition, do not enter information that is the subject of a confidentiality agreement or contract (e.g. with a student or a
client). Finally, do not enter texts that are copyrighted and for which you have not obtained permission to publish or reproduce this data.
Be careful with your account
Do not use your NHL Stenden email address to create an account with unsupported online free tools. Moreover, keep in mind that your data/input becomes the property of the company and part of the dataset. Therefore, make sure not to share any traceable or sensitive data (such as email addresses, personal data, study results etc.) of students and employees.
Tip: It is even safer to create a temporary email address
Bear in mind that AI applications may contain possible bias and selectivity due to the training data used. There are also concerns about possible violations of privacy, data protection and copyright rights How to use AI in your study?
GOOGLE: This public search engine works using an algorithm, which means that it is unclear what determines the results that you obtain.
Here are some tips for quicker and more efficient searches using Google and Google Scholar:
GOOGLE SCHOLAR is a search engine that allows you to search academic publications. You will not find these publications using the 'normal' Google. Some publishers give Google Scholar access to the full text in their online journals. You can also find citations (see 'citation search') and references to books in Google Scholar.
Using Google Scholar, you can check whether the NHL Stenden library has access to the full text of an article, through the databases. To do this, check the option: Full Text@NHL Stenden.
Google Scholar drop-down menu / settings:
NHL Stenden Library (2023, 9 November). Linking your library to Google Scholar [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved on 9 November 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUENPkGTUbs