What are the advantages in using a multi-line (advanced) search?
Google's single line search allows you to be imprecise. This is good if you are not sure of your topic and you are not looking for news or scholarship.
When you are ready to be precise in your search and when it is time to search for news and scholarship, the advanced search is essential.
In an advanced search:
AND is the operator we use to narrow (Jeep AND blue)
OR is the operator we use to broaden (Jeep AND blue OR green)
Each line is devoted to one subtopic of our search.
This allows us to use OR to try related terms for each subtopic (dress codes and uniforms are related terms in the same subtopic). We can search many related terms, but only one term need be present in our result.
DO NOT jumble different subtopics on one line - the database doesn't understand. You are not looking for Jeep OR blue OR green. You are looking for Jeeps and you do not mind if they are blue or green.
In order to search for research articles in the scholarship, you need to think like a researcher.
Use the terms they might use to describe the topic.
Researchers choose specific audiences to research.
Instead of asking 'the effect of' or 'the impact of', researchers measure effects deliberately.
Example: "I want to know what population is impacted by dress codes and I want to know how they have been impacted."
|
Main idea |
Group impacted | How impact is measured | Geography |
| hair | black or African American | academic achievement | US |
| clothing | high school | test scores | United States |
| dress codes | elementary school | GPA | |
| uniforms | girls | graduation | |
| boys | discipline | ||
| teen or teenager or adolescent | microaggressions |
Take a moment to brainstorm keywords based on your developing ideas about your topic. The point is to open up your thinking and to be flexible.
Now try translating into a search. Open in new tab to view larger.
Most databases have ways to limit to Peer Reviewed articles, usually with a left side menu on a results page. Databases from the vendor EBSCO include a way to limit to Academic Journals. There are very few instances when either button won't produce the same results, so think of them as interchangeable.
When searching for op-eds, the place you search is important. Not all databases contain viewpoints (see Find Opinions, Editorials and Viewpoints at left).
Keep in mind that the author of a viewpoint article is not concerned with researching the topic. They are expressing values and investments in the topic.
| Main Idea | Who cares about this topic? | Why do they care (what are their values and investments)? |
| dress codes | parents | academic achievement |
| uniforms | students | discrimination |
| teachers | cultural or personal expression / free speech | |
| lawmakers/policymakers (in government, usually) | school performance on local or state level | |
| school safety |
Below are methods for searching NexisUni - while most databases are not structured the same as NexisUni, the strategies you use in it will be helpful in other databases.
You can limit by location after you press search. Limit to Texas on the Location menu at left.
This image describes the various sections you can search in Nexis Uni. This is optional, but helpful in understanding how news is organized and described.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Generic License.