3. Undertake preliminary research
This page will teach you how to take the search strategy you’ve planned and apply it in a database. We’ll also explore some practical techniques to help you refine your searches and improve your results. By the end of this page, you’ll feel confident in finding the high-quality evidence for your assessments.
Visit the 'Databases and journals' section in this guide to browse the recommended databases.
Conduct the Search
Below is an example of an advanced search option you’ll find in most databases. It has multiple search boxes with the Boolean operator, AND, listed on the left-hand side. Each concept has been entered into a search box and joined by AND.
Click on the plus icons to learn about each search technique demonstrated.
Activity overview
This interactive activity shows an image of the Library advanced search bars filled in with an example search as follows:
(nurse OR therapist)
AND "nonverbal communication"
AND observ*
There are 3 selectable icons that explain each of the search techniques used in this advanced search.
Technique 1: Grouping your words (Brackets)
Brackets can be used to group keywords together, so they are searched first.
Technique 2: Grouping your words (Quote marks)
Use Quotation marks to search for words in an exact order. This is called phrase searching.
Technique 3: Using symbols
Add an asterisk to the end of a keyword to find variant word endings. This is called truncation. This example of observ* will find observe, observes, observer, observed, observing, observant, observation.
Tip
Keep a record of which database you have searched in and the terms you have used. This will save you time when repeating the same search in another database.
Improving your search results
The first search you run should find some academic articles useful to completing your assessment, but it will not find all of them. After running the first search it is important to skim read the academic articles that appeared in the database based on your search strategy.
Keep looking out for alternative keywords as you scan the articles in your search results to add to your search strategy. Experiment with your keywords and concepts - trying different search techniques, adding or removing concepts and testing more specific or general keywords. Always be guided by search result relevance.
Troubleshooting suggestions:
Too many search results?
- Double check you used your search techniques (*, “”) and operators correctly (AND, OR)
- Try using more specific terms
- Search abstracts (use the ‘select a field’ drop-box)
- Use some limiters (date, language)
- Add a concept, if relevant, e.g. Australia*
Too few search results?
- Double check you used your search techniques (*, “”) and operators correctly (AND, OR)
- Explore broader topics in the literature
- Re-evaluate your topic or question
- Try citation searching to explore different terminology used in the area
Results not relevant?
- Double check your terms and concepts, consider if there are better terms or concepts you can use instead
- Using a health-specific database from the relevant Library Resource Guide