Student Success: Research

When we talk about research, it is important to talk about Google and other internet search engines. Google is a great tool for finding information that is known. Google is great for answering questions like, “who is the Governor General of Canada?”, or “what is the population of Vancouver?” Google becomes less helpful when we are looking for more in-depth or scholarly information. Why?

• Imagine the world’s information like an iceberg. When we see an iceberg in the ocean, only a small part of it is actually visible; most of the iceberg is under water. Search engines like Google explore what we can see above the water, but they do not search the information below the surface very well, so it is easy to miss useful information and context.
• Google searches for the words that we type in. However, it does not always assume that we want results that use other, related words. This means that information can be missed.
• Google does not evaluate the information it finds. It does not differentiate between accurate information and inaccurate information. And because anyone can put anything on the Internet, there is no guarantee that what Google is finding is credible and reliable. It is very easy to be fooled by things we read online!
• Google does not do the best job of finding scholarly or peer reviewed content. When Google does find these sources, the information is often behind a paywall; the website or database will ask for a payment to access the information.

This does not mean that Google is a bad thing or that it should never be used! Just remember that when it comes to research, Google should not be the only tool you use. If a piece of information found on the Internet is going to be used for an essay or assignment, make sure to verify it with another reliable source, like those found in a library.

What About Google Scholar?

Google Scholar is a free online search engine that focuses on scholarly literature. Like Google, it has advantages and disadvantages:

Advantages of Google Scholar

There are a lot of great things about Google Scholar:

• Google Scholar is fast and easy to use, convenient, and it can find thousands of scholarly, peer reviewed sources in seconds.
• It looks similar to Google, so it feels familiar and comfortable to use.
• It has tools to help with citations, finding other resources that cite the one being looked at, and for creating notifications of new publications on a topic.
• Google Scholar is great for open access journals and [pb_glossary id="658"]grey literature[/pb_glossary]. Library search engines do not capture gray literature very well, and Google Scholar can be an excellent way to access these resources.

Challenges with Google Scholar

Like Google, Google Scholar can present some challenges when you’re researching:

• Sometime, Google Scholar has trouble telling the difference between scholarly and popular resources. It is important to read carefully to make sure that the article, book, or other resource meets the criteria of the assignment.
• Google Scholar often links to articles on commercial publisher websites, and sometimes, these sites will have a paywall, meaning that payment is required to access the article.
• It is important to remember that Google Scholar is an index; it is a list of resources, not a full text database. Some links may show the full text, while others show only an abstract or a description, along with a paywall.
• Google Scholar might show different versions of the same article such as pre-prints, which can be different from the version published in a journal.

These challenges do not mean that Google Scholar should never be used. Think of it as one more tool in your research toolbox. Just remember that, like Google, it should not be the only tool you use. It is important to be careful and think critically, and to always verify and cite sources properly - and this is true for all research tools!

Before searching on a library’s website or on the Internet, it is helpful to have a few important pieces of information. This information will help you to make decisions as you move forward with your research. Remember that this does not need to be complicated! Just read over the assignment and make notes or highlight important points. Below are some questions that can be used to guide the planning process:

• What is the overall question or thesis of the assignment?
• What types of sources are required by the assignment?
  • Is a specific format required, such as articles, or literature reviews? Is more than one format required?
  • How many sources are required?
  • Do sources have to be peer reviewed?
  • How current does the information have to be?
  • Are there any geographic specifications?
  • Is grey literature permitted?
  • Are there any other information requirements for the assignment?

Once you know what you need to find, it is time to explore and become familiar with the kinds of information that are available on the research topic. Use the library’s search or the Internet to look at a broad range of issues related to the overall question or thesis. How? Start by doing a basic search using very broad or general terms. To do this, you need to create your first search strategy.

A search strategy is an organized group of words that are used to look for information in a library catalog or database. The search strategy combines all of the key ideas in the research question. Why do you need one? A good search strategy makes it easier to find useful information that is relevant to the topic of the assignment.

To create a search strategy, follow these four steps:

• First, write down the research topic into one to two sentences.
• Second, underline or highlight the most important words in that sentence.
• Third, make a list of these important words. Make sure that the list includes a word for each concept in the topic. In research, these are called keywords.
• Finally, brainstorm alternatives for each of these words. Consider synonyms,  broader and narrower terms, alternative spellings, and variations on the same word. This is an area where Google can be very helpful!

What does this look like in practice?

Step One: Write down the research topic into one to two sentences.

Example: I want to find information about sustainable global food security and its impact on health.

Step Two: Underline or highlight the most important words in that sentence.

Example: I want to find information about sustainable global food security and its impact on health.

Step Three: Make a list of these important words, or keywords.

Example:

• sustainable
• global
• food security
• impact
• health

Step Four : Brainstorm alternatives for each of these words.

Example: For this example, we’ve used a chart. A list or a mind map are other ways that this information can be organized. Choose the option that makes the most sense to you.

Remember! Some keywords might have many alternatives, and others might only have one or two. Both are okay!

Why do I need to brainstorm other words?

It is important to search for different words that have the same or similar meanings. Why? In English, it is common to use more than one word to describe the same idea. For example, someone might use the word “job”, and someone else might say “work” or “career”. These similar words that have related meanings are called synonyms. The resources in a library’s catalog and databases use synonyms and related words too. It is important to try searching for these to avoid missing out on useful information. Remember that a library’s search will look for the words you type in, but it will not assume that other related words should be included too; you have to ask the search to find them.

Think about spelling variations too. A good example of this is the word “colour”, spelled with a u in Canada, but without a u in other parts of the world. Searching for different variations in spelling of the same word can help you to find more information.  This also includes nouns, adjectives, and singular and plural versions of words, like Canada, Canadian, and Canadians

Finally, think about broader and narrower terms. An example of this is searching for the phrase “health care”, when researching a topic related to nursing.
 

What do I do with these words?

Once the list of keywords and alternative words is complete, combine these words in different ways in a library’s search or in Google Scholar. Searching for different combinations of these words will show different results.

For example, searching for "sustainable global food security" will bring different results than searching for "sustainability in worldwide food security", but results from both searches could be very useful.
 

Basic searching refers to using a single search box, usually with simple keywords. To perform a basic search in the Library, follow these steps:

1. Visit www.loyalistlibrary.com and choose Catalyst. Remember to sign into your library account using your MyLoyalist login. You can sign in using the My Account button on the main page, or on the page that displays your search results. 

2. Type in your search using no more than two or three keywords that describe your topic. You do not need to type a full sentence or a question - just your search terms.

3. Review your search results. You might see a mix of difference kinds of resources with links or library locations for books, eBooks, streaming videos, journal articles, newspaper articles, and more.

4. Narrow down your results by using the filters located  on the left side of your screen. These include publication date, peer-reviewed articles, formats, subjects and more. The filters you pick might depend on the requirements of your assignment, so make sure you know what the requirements of your assignment are.

5. Save any item in your results or your search itself, including any filters, by using the pin icon and "Save Query" feature. Don't forget that you'll need to sign in to your library account using your MyLoyalist login to use this feature. If you've signed in, you'll see your name in the top right corner of the screen. Once you've saved an item or a search, click on your name and choose "My Favourites" to see what you've saved.

6. To see the full resource, click on the title. This will open a new page with more information, including a call number for books on the shelf, or a link for electronic resources, like articles.

There are three goals at this stage in the research process:

• To survey the information available and see what is being written about the research topic
• To check for bias in the literature and in your own views on the topic
• To become aware of a wider variety of issues related to the research question before settling on a direction for your research. You might discover something new that you had never considered!
   

7. Build your list of search words that you created when you were building your search strategy. Every resource in a library has a list of subject headings. The subject headings for a resource can be seen in the list of results in a library's search. Subject headings give more information about the content of a resource. The subject headings can be used to narrow down or filter a search, to find similar and related content, and they can be included in the list of keywords created in step two. Write down any subject headings that match up with the research topic so they can be included in future searches.

What is an Advanced Search?
"Advanced search” can mean one of two things:

1) It can refer to an advanced search screen, which has multiple search boxes.
2) It can also refer to advanced search techniques, like Boolean searching.

The advances search screen and Boolean searching are often used together to make a search more specific and focused.

Advanced Search Screens
Visit www.loyalistlibrary.com and choose either "Advanced Search" below the Catalyst button on the main page, or at the top of the results screen, if you've already started searching. Both options will take you to the same Advanced Search screen. Remember to sign into your library account using your MyLoyalist login. You can sign in using the My Account button on the main page, or on the page that displays your search results.
 

Advanced Search Techniques

There are several advanced search techniques. The most common ones are:

• Using Boolean operators
• Using brackets
• Using truncation
• Using quotation marks
   

Use Boolean Operators

Boolean operators are words that give search software a specific instruction about how to search and what kind of results to include or leave out. There are three Boolean operators - AND, OR, and NOT.

Using AND between words tells the search software that you want results that include both or all of the words; you can use AND to connect more than two words. The software looks for results that include all of the words you’ve connected with AND. AND focuses and narrows down your search by combining words. AND is often a default in many library databases, and it is often added behind the scenes in a search engine like Google.

Example: sustainable AND global AND food security

Using OR between words tells the search software that you want results that include either the first word OR the second - or the third; you can connect more than two words with OR. OR broadens a search and can be very helpful when you’re searching for a word that has several synonyms. Synonyms are similar words that have related meanings. For example, if you’re searching for information related to “employment”, you might also want to search for words like “work”, “career”, “job”, “vocation”, and so on. It can also be helpful if a word has multiple spellings.  A good example of this is the word “colour”, spelled with a u in Canada, but without a “u” in other parts of the world. Finally, it can be helpful for searching broader and narrower terms, such as “health care” when you’re searching for information related to nursing or medicine. Some library databases will suggest synonyms or related words when you begin typing in your search.

Example: sustainable OR sustainability OR eco-friendly

If there is a term you want to omit from your search results, you can include that word in the search, preceded by the word NOT. NOT narrows a search by removing or ignoring elements of a topic. NOT can be challenging to use, and it is important to remember that including it in a search may mean that potentially useful information is left out of the search results. For example, if you were searching for information on dementia but wanted to focus on conditions other than Alzheimer’s, you could search for dementia NOT Alzheimer’s disease. NOT can also be used to clarify your search, for example, “New York NOT New York City”.

Example:  health NOT healthcare

Use Brackets

Brackets can be used along with Boolean operators to make a search more focused, and to combine groups of search terms. This is one way to search for variations on the same word, or for several synonyms of a word in a single search. Like a math equation, in a search, any terms in brackets are searched first. More than one Boolean operator and more than one set of brackets can be used in a single search. For example, using brackets around two words connected by AND followed by two connected with OR tells the software that you want all of the words in the brackets, and one of the two words that follow the brackets. In practice, it might look something like this:

(sustainable OR sustainability) AND (global OR worldwide) AND (food security OR food insecurity) AND (impact OR influence OR effect) AND health

Alternatively, using a library's advanced search screen:

An example of an 

On an advanced search screen, Instead of using brackets, each concept appears on its own line, with synonyms and related words separated by OR.

Use Truncation

Another searching technique that can be used is truncation. When truncation is used, a word ending is replaced by a symbol. Different databases use different truncation symbols, so it is important to make sure you know which symbol to use. This information can often be found on the database’s “Help” screen. One of the most common symbols used is the asterisk. Using truncation tells the search software to search for different forms simultaneously. It increases the number of search results found and can be very useful when you’re looking for different variations on a word. For example, if you type “music” immediately followed by an asterisk, the search software will bring results that include music, musical, musician, musicians, musicality, and so on.

Using truncation can be challenging! It can sometimes bring unexpected or irrelevant results, especially if the truncation symbol is placed too soon. For example, if you typed “mus*”, you would get a wide range of words like must, muse, mustard, museum, muscle, and so on - in addition to variations on the word “music”. Placing the truncation symbol too soon can bring in too many results that aren’t useful.

Use Quotation Marks

Unlike using AND, which means that the search terms will appear anywhere in the results, using quotation marks around search terms tells the search software to find exactly those words in exactly that order. This is sometimes called an Exact Phrase search. Using quotation marks is a good way to find a specific resource by title, e.g.: "The publication manual of the American psychological association".
 

Many search engines - including library catalogues and databases and Google - leave out common words in English and in other languages, such as “the”, “of” or “I” in English, “la” (which means “the” in Spanish) and “de” (which means “of” in French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese). These are called “stop words”. When a search engine ignores a term critical to a search, e.g., LA (common abbreviation for Los Angeles), enclose the term in quotation marks.

Remember that using quotation marks will provide a smaller number of results, and it might mean that useful information is left out of the list of results. When using quotation marks in a search, it is also important to verify the correct order of the words and the correct spelling.

Coming soon!

Abstract: An abstract is a summary of the content of an article or book. Article abstracts often appear at the beginning of an article, before the introduction.

Academic Integrity: Academic integrity is the expectation that all members of an academic community act with honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. This includes students, instructors, and researchers.

Academic Dishonesty: Academic dishonesty "includes a variety of actions including, but not limited to, plagiarism, conflict of interest, cheating, falsification, misrepresentation and fraudulent behaviour, and copyright breaches." (AOP 216)

Advanced Search: "Advanced search" can mean one of two things:

• An advanced search screen. These search screens have more than one box, and filters like format and date often appear besides the search boxes. The advanced search screen might also allows the researcher to specify where they want a word to be located - in the title of the resource, the subject headings, etc. This combination of multiple search boxes and filters creates a more focused search.
• Advanced search techniques, such as Boolean operators, truncation, and the use of brackets and quotation marks.

APA Style: APA Style is set of guidelines created by the American Psychological Association (the APA). These guidelines help writers, including students, to format written work and citations in a consistent way.

Appendix/ Appendices: An appendix comes after the reference list of an essay or assignment, and it contains any additional information such as raw data or interview transcripts. The information in the appendices is relevant but is too long or too detailed to include in the main body of the essay or assignment.

Basic Search: A basic search is a search in a library that uses a small number of carefully selected words typed into one search box. A basic search is usually very general, and is often used at the beginning of the research process. A basic search looks for the specified words everywhere – in titles, descriptions, subject headings, etc.

Bibliography: A bibliography is list of books and other materials that are used to write an assignment. It can be easy to confuse a bibliography and references page, and sometimes the two terms are used to mean the same thing, but "references page" is the correct term in APA Style.

Bias: Bias is the tendency to believe that an idea, person or piece of information is better than others. Bias can be innate or learned. Bias usually results in ideas, information or people being treated unfairly, either in a positive or negative way.

Boolean Operators: Boolean operators are words that give search software a specific instruction about how to search and what kind of results to include or leave out. There are three Boolean operators - AND, OR, and NOT.

Cite / Citing / Citation: Citing is the process of acknowledging the sources of information and ideas. This takes the form of a citation. Citations must include specific pieces of information and must follow a consistent format. There are two types of citations - in-text citations, and reference list entries.

Confirmation Bias: The tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms or supports our existing ideas, beliefs or values.

Database: A database is an organized collection of information that can be searched. Databases can hold different kinds of information, including journal articles, newspaper articles, eBooks, streaming videos, etc.

Digital Citizenship: Digital citizenship is the ability to navigate our digital environments in a way that is safe and responsible, and to actively and respectfully engage in digital or online spaces.

DOI: DOI stands for Digital Object Identifier. A DOI is a string of numbers, letters and symbols used to permanently identify an article or document, and to link to it online. A DOI will help to easily locate a document from a reference list. The DOI will always refer to the same article, and only that article. DOIs can usually be found on the article itself, either on the first page, or in the header or footer of the article.

Endnotes: Endnotes are listed at the end of the paper on separate pages, before the references page. Endnotes provide additional information or context. Most student APA Style papers do not require endnotes.

Footnotes: A footnote appears on the bottom of the page that contains the sentence to which it refers. Footnotes provide additional information or context. Most student APA Style papers do not require footnotes.

Grey Literature: Grey literature refers to sources of information that are produced outside of traditional publishing and distribution channels, and can include reports, policy literature, working papers, newsletters, government documents, speeches, white papers, urban plans, infographics, and more. Grey literature is not typically peer-reviewed.

In-Text Citation: In-text citations appear in the body of a paper or other assignment. They briefly identify a work by author and date of publication. In-text citations also help the reader to find the full reference list entry in the reference list at the end of the paper. In-text citations must have corresponding reference list entries. In-text citations can be narrative or parenthetical.

Keywords: Keywords are the words used to search for information in a library or in a search engine like Google or Google Scholar.

Narrative Citation: A narrative citation is made up of the author's last name and the date of publication, and the name of the author appears in the sentence itself, rather than in parentheses. The author's name is part of the sentence, e.g.: Clarke (2022) states that . . .

Paraphrase / Paraphrasing: Paraphrasing means putting information from the source material into your own words. Paraphrased material is usually shorter than the original passage. Remember that paraphrasing requires an in-text citation and reference list entry.

Parenthetical Citation: Parenthetical citations are made up of the author's last name and the date of publication in parentheses, or brackets, following the information being cited, e.g.: (Clarke, 2022)

Peer Review: Peer review is the process of evaluating submissions to an academic journal. Before the article is accepted for publication, it’s evaluated by a group of people who are experts in the topic of the article, or in the same discipline as the author(s) of the article – in other words, the peers of the author(s).

Plagiarism: Plagiarism includes taking, using, and passing off someone else’s work or ideas as your own. Plagiarism can be intentional or accidental, and can include reusing your own work from previous courses.

Popular Sources: Popular sources of information that are readily available and can be consumed in quick doses. Popular sources are usually written by journalists and other writers who may not be specialists in the topic they’re writing about. Popular sources are usually written to inform, entertain or persuade the general public. They tend to use everyday language accessible to all types of readers and don’t usually include a list of references, even if they might refer to the resources they used indirectly..

Primary Sources: Primary sources are resources that provide raw information, or first-hand evidence gathered by performing original research, such as an experiment. They make an original contribution to the knowledge about a topic.  Primary sources can include original scholarly research articles, datasets or survey data, such as census or economic statistics, photographs, video, or audio that capture an event, texts of laws and other original documents, and speeches, diaries, letters and interviews.

Quote / Quoting / Quotation: To quote means to copy “word for word” from a resource, including original spelling and punctuation. Direct quotations appear in quotation marks and end with an in-text citation.

Reference / Referencing / References: A reference is a group of details about one specific resource, arranged in a consistent way. These are sometimes called citations.

Reference List: A reference list appears at the end of an assignment or essay, and it contains all of the reference list entries for information resources used for that assignment or essay.

Reference List Entry: A reference list entry is the information in a reference list at the end of an assignment or essay. Each source of information in an essay or assignment must have a reference list entry. An APA Style reference list entry includes author(s), a date, a title, and a source.

Research: Research is the process of finding and discovering knowledge to find answers to a question.

Resources: Resources, sometimes called sources, are sources of information; this is where information is found when conducting research. This can sometimes lead to confusion, because one of the pieces of information in a reference list entry is also called a source.

Scholarly Sources: Scholarly sources are written by an expert or experts in the field, intended for a specialized audience. Scholarly sources use discipline specific methods, terminology and theory to discuss and analyze original research. They often use technical language and specialized vocabulary. Scholarly sources are mostly accessible through libraries and online databases.

Search Strategy: A search strategy is an organized group of words that are used to look for information in a library catalog or database

Secondary Sources: Sources that interpret or analyze the information from primary sources, and they quote or use primary sources to gather information, but they don’t make their own original contribution to the knowledge about a topic. Secondary sources can include most books about a topic, and analysis or interpretation of data, including journal articles that interpret existing information and research.

Subject Heading: A subject heading is a tag or label that provides more information about the content of a library resource.

Summary / Summarize: Summarizing means putting the main idea(s) of a resource into your own words, including only the main point(s). Summaries are significantly shorter than the original resource, and they provide a broad overview.

Thesis: The thesis is a sentence that states the topic and purpose of an essay. The kind of thesis statement being written will depend on the type of essay being written.

Truncation: Truncation is a technique that is used while looking for information using a library’s search. A word ending is replaced by a symbol, like an asterisk, to find words with that start with the same letters but have different endings, i.e.: nurs* would find the words nurse, nurses, and nursing.

URL: URLs are persistent links to information on the Internet. URLs can be found in the address bar of the web browser.

The text in this section is taken from Chapters 3 and 4 of The Loyalist College Guide to APA Style and Academic Writing (2024).

Sources: 

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CQUni Library. (n.d). Truncation. CQUniversity Australia. https://library-resources.cqu.edu.au/learning-objects/truncation.htm

Dupuis, J. (2023). Research like a librarian: A how-to guide. Parrott Centre Library, Loyalist College of Applied Arts and Technology. https://loyalistcollege.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/delivery/01LOYALIST_INST:01LOYALIST/1269747200005116

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Logsdon, P. (2014). What is the difference between simple search and advanced search in Primo? University Libraries, Washington University in St. Louis. https://libanswers.wustl.edu/faq/10836

San Jacinto College Library. (2021). Advanced searching. San Jacinto College. https://sjcd.libguides.com/c.php?g=542775&p=3719869

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University of Toronto Libraries (n.d.). What are Boolean operators? How can I use them to improve my searches? University of Toronto. https://onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/faq/what-are-boolean-operators-how-can-i-use-them-improve-my-searches

Verspoor, F. (2015). Basic search vs. advanced search. Royal BC Museum. https://staff.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/2015/10/16/archives-collection-search-basic-search-vs-advanced-search/