ENGL 101 English Composition 1

Strategies for Overcoming Research Bumps

Challenge 1: "I can't find words that work"

Sometimes when we research, we can't figure out words that work. There can be a number of reasons for that to happen. Here are some strategies that help. 

Strategies - Use Booleans and Search Phrases, Not Sentences:

  • Sometimes we think our words are not working, but the problem is we are using too many words. Solution: Use keywords or subject terms instead of natural language. Google is good at finding key ideas in natural language (which is the way we talk). Library databases work better with simple key words or subject terms connected by AND or OR. 

Example: Instead of searching: "the challenges of starting to learn a new language in high school" try: "second language learning" OR "second language acquisition" OR "foreign language learning" AND "high school" OR "secondary school"

AND high school OR seccondary school

Strategies - Try a Range of Search Terms:

  • Try synonyms or related ideas that connect to your core topic.
  • Use library databases to help you generate different search words. Do a search and:
    • Browse the database search results for the language used by journalists and researchers. 
    • Look for specialized vocabulary that captures the academic side of your topic.
  • Try subject terms. We capture our main ideas in keywords. Databases also use Subject Terms to pull together resources on a subject. Finding relevant subjects is helpful! How do you find them? 
    • In individual databases like Gale eBooks, Academic Search Complete, or ProQuest, look for SUBJECTs in the filters. Academic Search Complete even lists subjects under each article. That's helpful!
    • In One Search, you can use the Subjects filter in the menu. Better yet, you can click on a relevant sounding title and then scroll down the page to find other possibly useful Subject Terms.
      • Example: The image below, from the record for the book Language and Identity: An Introduction, points to subjects terms and also underlines possibly useful keywords and ideas.

(click on image to enlarge)

book record

 

Challenge 2: "There's nothing on my topic."

Sometimes when we research, we can't find anything on our topic. That can happen when:

  • we use inaccurate or vague keywords (see the previous tab on identifying useful search terms)
  • we use keywords that are too general (ex: poverty instead of food insecurity)
  • we use keywords that are too specific (ex: food insecurity AND first-year nursing students) 
  • we are writing about a new event, phenomenon, or text. 

Strategies:

Keywords that are too general: 
  • Try adding an additional keyword(s) to narrow and focus your general idea. For example:
    • code switch*
    • code switch* AND immigrants
    • code switch* AND "second-generation immigrants" 
    • code switch* AND work
  • Try replacing a general concept with a more specific term. For example:
    • Instead of gender AND language, try "gender identity" AND language
    • Instead of gender AND language, try "gendered language" AND women AND "social media" 
Keywords that are too specific:
  • You may need to take a step or two back, if you are not finding sources with your keywords. For example:
    • Africa* instead of Ghana or Nigeria
Writing about a new event, phenomenon, or text:
  • Scholarship, books, reference articles, and other sources take time to research, write, edit, and publish.
    • If you want to research a new event or issue, try searching for information about the more general phenomenon. For example: 
      • Climate change AND urban flooding AND united states instead of Hurricane Sandy
      • megacities AND climate resilience
    • If you want to write about a recently published work, search for sources about the author's previous works, the genre, or the issues they engage.

Challenge 3: "I can't find the full text or I hit a paywall."

Strategies

No full text:

Library databases are useful research tools, because they include a mix of full text sources we can read immediately AND sources for which there is only a title and an abstract (overview of the source). 

  • The library One Search defaults to full text only. You can click the box to include sources that are not full text, and then borrow not full text items through InterLibrary Loan.
  • Library databases, on the other hand, have a mix of full text and no full text. If you want to find only full text sources, check the box that says "full text only."
  • If you do not find full text of a source that sounds useful in one database, however, click on the button that offers to "check for full text at GRC." IF WE HAVE THE ARTICLE/ SOURCE IN ANOTHER DATABASE, IT WILL LINK TO IT AND OPEN.
  • If we don't have the full text at GRC but it sounds useful to you, you may borrow the item for free with InterLibrary Loan. 

(click on image to enlarge)

no full text example

Paywalls:

If you search for sources on the Web, you may hit a publication paywall and be asked to pay to see the full text. 

  • First, check Holman Library to see if we have the source in our collection. You can read it for free there. 
  • If we do not have the source, you may try to request it for free through InterLibrary Loan. Use the link below.

Did you know that you can set Google Scholar to sync with Holman Library resources? That way it will list if the source is available in our collection. Steps: 

  1. At Google Scholar, click on the three bar menu. 
  2. Select Settings.
  3. Select Library Links. 
  4. Type in Green River College Library at "show library access links for:
  5. Save.