Online Learning Librarian
Permalinks
A permalink is a permanent link, stable URL or web address that will consistently point to a specific online information resource such as an article, book chapter, e-book, or other online resource. Depending upon the resource being used, permalinks may also be called a DOI (direct object identifier), a stable, durable, persistent, permanent or document link or URL, a bookmark or simply, link. Here is what they look like in our most commonly used databases:
Why bother with a permalink? Can't I just use the URL from the address bar or load a PDF directly onto my site?
No, Database links from the URL address bar are temporary and will time out after a certain period. To get back to your articles, the permalink will always get you back to your article because it's a permanent identifier.
Search Strategies
There are a few ways you can approach your research. The strategies you choose will depend on your topic, the databases you're using, and the type of reasearch you're conducting.
Keyword searching with boolean operators - Searching with 1-2 word phrases that describe your topic and combining them with the boolean operators AND/ OR. Use this strategy for most library databases since they don't have natural language search capabilities.
Natural language searching - Searching with long phrases or natural speaking patterns in the search bar. This works with AI tools and Google scholar.
Citation tracking - This strategy involves identifying an article closely related to your topic and tracking down both artilcles that the author has cited and other articles that cite the one the one that you've found. Google Scholar is often the best tool for this strategy because you can copy and paste a citation to search for it or use the "cited by" link beneath an article to pull up other articles that cite your original article.
Pronged search - Sometimes you'll need to research concepts separately, then use your knowledge to synthesize them in your project. To do this, you'll identify which concepts have been researched together and which ones have not. Then you can design your search to match that need. You may need the help of a librarian do design this search.
Search Tips
Search Connectors
When you search in a database, you'll need to take a different approach than searching with Google or entering a query in a generative AI such as ChatGPT. Databases work best when you use search connectors to combine your keywords. Search connectors include AND, OR, and NOT.
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Using AND
Football AND Fans |
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Using OR
Fans OR Fandom |
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Using NOT
Eagles NOT Football |
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What's in a database?
This video explains the relationship between databases, journals, and articles.
How do keywords relate to sources?
Most databases will give you a list of sources where your keywords match terms in the source title, subjects, and abstract.
What to try if...
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You get too many results with no clear focus
- Narrow your search by adding keywords or using more specific keywords
- Scan results that look somewhat relevant to identify better keywords
- Use the filter to narrow by source type, publication date, and more
- Try a different search tool
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You get limited results or no results
- Broaden your search by reducing the number of keywords you’re using
- Use more general/broad keywords
- Try a different database related to your topic, or use DELCAT
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You’re unsure of what keywords to use or how to approach your search
- Use Credo Reference, Wikipedia, or Google to build context about your topic and identify keywords
- Use Google Scholar to see which academic fields are studying your topic. Scan results to help you identify keywords
Truncation
Truncation allows you to search for variations of a term with multiple endings. To use truncation, take the word down to its root and add an asterisk. Your search will return results that include all possible endings of the word.
Examples
- legis* = legislator, legislators, legislative, legislation
- parent* = parent, parents, parental, parenting
Quotation Marks
Sometimes keywords are single terms, but sometimes there are short phrases that are relevant for your topic. If you want to search for a short phrase, you can put the terms in quotation marks to make sure your results include that exact phrase.
Examples
- "social media"
- "climate change"
- "fast fashion"
A note of caution: Quotation marks work best for short phrases that are commonly used in scholarly sources such as peer-reviewed articles. If you try searching with quotation marks and get limited results, rethink the phrase you're searching. You might need to break it down into keywords.