Step 1: Select the search tools you will use

(e.g. - Agricola, Academic Search Complete, JSTOR, Google Scholar, etc.)

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Step 2: Identify your primary topic keywords

(e.g. - wolves AND "endangered status"

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Step 3: Identify any additional limits needed- region, species, data parameters, date, etc.

(e.g. - Pacific Northwest; Washington State; etc.)

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Step 4: Include any needed source types and access limitations

(e.g. - peer reviewed; Interlibrary loan vs. full-text)

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Step 5: Read the abstracts to select the articles most likely to give you the greatest amount of useful information

2. Use truncation symbols (usually ? or *) in library catalogs and databases to capture all forms of words (ethnic* will retrieve ethnic and ethnicity).

3. Keep searches simple using keywords to capture core ideas. Search on ethics AND medical care AND immigrants rather than: Do immigrant communities receive an adequate standard of health care?

4. Use a variety of search words. (see: Identifying Search Words).  Try different searches to find different results:

•  access to healthcare
•  ethnic groups
• immigrant communities
• racism and medical care
• self image women         

5. Become a power internet searcher!  Use advanced search techniques to get better results from your internet searches