LibGuides: ENGR 100 Library Assignment: Part 2: Developing Keywords and Search Strings

Background Sources: Online Encyclopedias & Dictionaries

Background sources can help you learn the language related to your topic. You may gather synonyms for the keywords in your topic and use those synonyms in your search strings.

Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
An online reference library that has over 350 titles from 60 different publishers.
CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive, non-biased reporting and analysis on issues shaping our world.
Encyclopedia Britannica Academic Edition This link opens in a new window
Included only links to electronic journals in the field of education that are scholarly, peer-reviewed, full text and accessible without cost.
Oxford English Dictionary (OED) Online This link opens in a new window
The Oxford English Dictionary is an unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of over half a million words, both present and past. It traces the usage of words through 2.5 million quotations from a wide range of international English language sources, from classic literature and specialist periodicals to film scripts and cookery books.

Engineering Background Sources

AccessEngineering
Authoritative, regularly updated engineering reference information and dynamic online features, such as instructional, faculty made videos, calculators, interactive tables and charts.

Assignment Part 2: Developing Keywords and Search Strings

The information given in this section will help you to complete the second part of your library assignment.

Identify keywords related to your research question.
Use background sources to find synonyms.
Use Boolean logic to create search strings that can be used to locate library resources.

ENGR 100 Assignment: Part 2

Selecting the Right Number of Keywords

Kimbel Library. "Selecting the Right Number of Keywords." Online video clip. Vimeo. Vimeo, 2010. Web. 09 July 2014.

Boolean Operators

Try advanced searching using Boolean operators.

Wilson, Emily. "Boolean Operators." Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 24 Apr. 2008. Web. 09 July 2014.

Ask a Librarian

If you need assistance finding or using these resources, Ask a Librarian!

library.campbell.edu/ask

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Drop-In Virtual Reference Room
Phone: (910) 893-1467
E-mail: reference@campbell.edu

Developing a Search Strategy

Developing a Search Strategy
Flash | YouTube version unavailable
Explore how to choose an appropriate research topic, pick keywords & synonyms related to that topic, and use Boolean operators to connect those terms.

The Search String Toolkit

The Boolean Operators: AND, OR, and NOT

AND
AND finds sources that mention both listed concepts.
Wikipedia AND accuracy

OR
OR finds sources that mention either of the two concepts.
Wikipedia AND (accuracy OR reliability)

NOT
NOT excludes sources that mention a certain concept.
Wikipedia AND (accuracy OR reliability) NOT “drug information”

Other Helpful Tools:

QUOTES
Quotes link phrases together. Putting the phrase “drug information” in quotes searches sources with that exact phrase, instead of searching sources with the word “drug” and “information” separately.

TRUNCATION
Truncation allows you to search a word in its varying forms. To use truncation, type the root of the word and place the truncation symbol (often an *) behind it.

Searching for accura* will include sources that use the term accurate and the term accuracy.
Wikipedia AND (accura* OR reliab*)