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3.3 How Do I Find Information?

Your Road Map to Success: Section 3.3

Learning Outcome 3.3: Explain how to search for information in a digital university library and on the Internet and determine what type of search is required based on an information need.

Why is this important?

Mastering this outcome will help strengthen your researching skills and ability to locate information both on the Internet and in a digital university library. For example, Jamar’s first visit to the digital library was frustrating. He couldn’t find anything related to the specific topic he wanted to research. After consulting a librarian and learning more about searching, he realized he had been using the wrong databases. His second visit was much more fruitful; he found all he needed in just a few minutes!

How does this relate to your success in this course?

Mastering this learning outcome will help you locate the information you need to do your assignments quickly and efficiently so that you can balance the needs of school, work, family, and other commitments. It will also give you the tools to find the answers you need—whether you are researching a school assignment or seeking advice for yourself or your family.

All libraries have a system for organizing and accessing their collection that is specific to the resources they carry and the communities they serve. Most public and academic libraries use electronic catalogs that allow users to search their collections online. An online catalog is a digital record that contains all of the physical items located within a library. It may also contain a record of the ebooks and journals a library carries, though typically not its databases. These catalogs are searchable by title, author, subject, keyword, and more. Libraries have also shared their catalogs, making them available online through WorldCat (https://www.worldcat.org/default.jsp (https://www.worldcat.org/default.jsp) ). This worldwide catalog lists library items available based on your location and contains bibliographic information on the holdings of over 10,000 libraries worldwide.

A purely digital library does not have a physical collection and therefore does not use a catalog. Instead, it uses several databases. A database is a digital collection of stored information that has been organized, often by several criteria, such as author, title, and subject. Databases include abstracts, full-text documents, images, statistics, and more. Some databases contain general information on a variety of topics, and others contain information only within a specific discipline or field. Think of a database like a virtual library shelf. It contains many of the same resources you would find on a shelf in a physical library but in a digital form.

The Internet is another system that has also significantly increased the ease of accessing and locating information. Let’s take a closer look at how to access information in the digital age.

Library Databases

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A university library’s digital collection consists of different databases that contain ebooks, articles, videos, images, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and more. In many cases content inside a database is leased through a subscription. When the terms of these subscriptions change, so does the content readily available within a library’s database. This means the number of e-journals and articles available can fluctuate, since they change with the terms of the subscription.

Although a university library’s databases are located on the Internet, they are not freely available. Usually, only students, faculty, and staff can use them. Once individuals are no longer affiliated with the university, they typically must purchase costly subscriptions to access databases and individual journals. Looking back at the ACRL threshold concept information has value, we can see how limiting access to certain types of information reflects the value associated with that type of information while also creating a system that privileges some while marginalizing others (ACRL, 2015). Many argue that information, particularly important information such as academic and scientific studies, should be freely available to all. Such open access could benefit a larger audience, improving collaboration among researchers and potentially increasing innovation.

Two of the largest databases most commonly used by libraries are EBSCOhost and ProQuest. They are multidisciplinary databases, which means they carry information on a wide variety of subjects. The following snapshot provides information on a few of the many other commonly used library databases.

Highlight: Common University Library Databases

JSTOR (pronounced Jay-store) is a humanities database that contains information on art, history, social sciences, and literature. ERIC contains information on educational topics. It also includes a special thesaurus that provides a list of descriptive terms that you can use to help you search the database. Mergent is a business database that provides a wealth of information on both public and private companies. PubMed Central is a digital archive with information on biomedical and life sciences studies published in journals worldwide. It is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and managed by the NIH’s National Center for Biotechnology Information in the National Library of Medicine. It is available to anyone free of charge. Films on Demand contains academic videos on a variety of subjects from producers such as PBS, A&E, the History TV network, and others. ProQuest Newsstand contains information from newspapers, newswires, and other news sources around the globe. Credo Reference is a reference database containing books, such as encyclopedias, that cover every major subject. It also contains images (art, diagrams, maps, and photos), audio pronunciation files, and sound clips. SAGE Journals includes leading international peer-reviewed journals in a variety of disciplines.

Often, students will begin their research expecting to find one perfect article that entirely explains their topic or answers their research question. However, this rarely happens. Instead, you will most likely find several articles that discuss aspects of your topic. Some articles may have only a single paragraph of information you can use, whereas others may have only a sentence. Conducting good research takes patience, so you should spend some

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time strategically exploring many different articles, collecting the bits and pieces of information that will be useful to your research.

Quick Tip!

Accessing the Database

Sometimes students find that they are asked to enter a user name and password while searching in a database. This most often means that there is an issue with the student’s browser or Internet connection. To correct this problem, try clearing out your cache and cookie files. In most cases, taking this step instantly corrects the problem.

Basic Searching Techniques

At first, searching in a database can seem confusing, intimidating, and frustrating. However, as with most things in life, the more you practice, the easier it becomes. A database search engine is basically a word finder. It does not understand or interpret meaning. It simply scans its collection for a resource that has all of the words you entered into the search box. This means that paying close attention to the words you include and exclude in your search terms is important.

Highlight: Reframe Searching in Databases

Database searching requires students to reframe the way they perform searches. When searching the Internet, the search engine is in the driver’s seat, meaning that it makes decisions for us. While this makes searching easy, the results that are returned are often narrow in scope and predominantly non-academic. With database searching, the student is in the driver’s seat. To get the information they want, students will have to learn how to command the database to return what they need. While this takes more work, the results are far better, deeper, and much more appropriate for academic research.

—Cynthia Lewis, librarian

Keyword Search Keyword searching will likely be the most common way you search for information inside and outside the digital university library. Keyword searching allows you to construct a search by looking for an exact word or combination of words contained in the author, title, or subject fields in the library databases.

To generate a variety of articles on your topic, it’s important to brainstorm a list of different keywords before beginning your search. Since databases are only word finders, using a diverse list of keywords increases your

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chances of finding a wide range of articles. Consider the following tips and tricks for effectively searching using keywords.

1. Identify what you want to search by thinking critically about your assignment. Avoid typing in a question or sentence when searching a database. Identify the main ideas from your topic and think of keywords that represent those main ideas.

2. Think of other ways to say the same thing. Part of successful researching requires the use of synonyms. If you were looking for information on social networking, you could also try searching for online social media, Facebook, Twitter, and so forth. These searches would yield different results. Think about how others might say what you are looking for and try adjusting your search terms accordingly. Your background research may also reveal additional terms related to your topic.

3. Enter only a few keywords into the search box. The database will search for something that has every word you enter.

4. Make sure your spelling is correct. Many databases do not correct for spelling. This means that if you misspell a word in the search box, you may not receive any results and won’t be notified as to why. To prevent this problem, always make sure that the words you put into the search box are spelled correctly.

5. Use quotation marks when searching for a short phrase or words you want to keep together. Putting quotation marks around words or phrases tells the database you want to search only results that have those terms in that exact order. For example, you would type “attention deficit disorder” for information about this condition. Without the quotation marks, the database will search for each of the three words individually, flooding your list of results with resources you don’t want. However, avoid placing quotation marks around a long string of terms, since doing so would severely limit your results.

6. Remember, sometimes less is more! For different results, try using just one keyword or phrase in each search box rather than combining them.

Highlight: Practice Searching in Databases

Use ProQuest Newsstand to find a newspaper article written within the first few days of a well-known news event, such as Hurricane Laura or the COVID-19 pandemic.

Locate a more recent article (newspaper or scholarly) on the same topic. Was any information missing from the original newspaper account? Did the updated article provide a different view or perspective from the account given in early reports?

Let’s check back in with Irwin, who decided to begin his research in the digital library by consulting with a librarian. After he explained his research assignment, the librarian asked what keywords he’d used to conduct his background research. He told her that he’d used social networking, Facebook, and society. She suggested that he add “social media” (with quotation marks) to his list of keywords. She reminded Irwin of the importance of using quotation marks to keep terms or phrases together. Since Irwin wants to focus on the benefits of social networking in the workplace, the librarian also added the terms workplace and LinkedIn to the list of keywords. Lastly, Irwin mentioned that during his background research, he had come across some information by a man named Marshall McLuhan and wanted to see if he could find any library resources written by him. The librarian suggested that Irwin add McLuhan’s name to the growing list of keywords. The librarian then showed Irwin how to navigate the library’s search options and begin using his keywords.

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Author Search Conducting an author search is beneficial when you know the name of a resource’s author and need to locate the actual work. The author can be a single person, a group of people, or even an organization. The process for conducting this type of search in a search engine and in a database differs greatly. When conducting an author search using a search engine, the more information you can provide, the better. Try using the full name of the first author listed. The order in which you type the first and last names doesn’t really matter. Either way, you are sure to get results you can work with. For example, Irwin could try searching for Marshall McLuhan or McLuhan, Marshall, and Google will understand what he is looking for.

Searching by author name in a database is a bit more complicated. Databases do not recognize punctuation, and including it in the search box confuses the database. This means searching for McLuhan, Marshall will not work, because the comma separating the names will not be recognized. Instead, try searching with the author’s last name only. Since it’s impossible to predict how the author’s name is listed within an article (M. McLuhan or McLuhan, Marshall or Marshall McLuhan), using the last name only is your safest bet to retrieve the information you need. Many databases give you the option of selecting an author search. While this is not considered an advanced researching skill, databases often keep this option on their advanced searching page. The following shows how Irwin conducted this search.

Title Search When searching for the title of a resource, whether online or in a database, you’ll have the most luck by searching with the complete title and placing quotation marks around it, such as “Five Tips for Running Your Own Business”. You will most likely have some luck searching with a partial title using a search engine. Even inputting a few words from a title will often yield results that will lead you to the title you are looking for. In contrast, searching by title in a database works best when you know the complete title or at least the majority of it.

For example, during his background research, Irwin noticed that multiple sources referred to the article “Anonymity or Fame: What Influences Behavior on Social Networking Sites?” This suggests that the article contains important information, so Irwin decided to search for it in the library databases. Just as with author searching, the option for a title-only search can usually be located on the advanced search page. Irwin used only a portion of the title to search with and put quotation marks around the words he wanted to keep together. The following is what Irwin’s title search looked like.

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The article Irwin was looking for came up on the first page of results. Now that he has two successful database searches under his belt, he is ready to try more!

Subject Search Conducting a subject search is useful when you would like to explore resources on a particular topic. Engaging in this type of search on the Internet simply entails typing a subject into a search engine’s search box. In contrast, subject searches work best in a database when you use the scholarly term to describe the subject you are searching. Let’s say you want to conduct a subject search on the term “heart attack.” The database will return results using these terms, but to find scholarly articles on this topic, you would need to search with the commonly used scholarly term “myocardial infarction.” When you’re not sure what the scholarly term for a subject might be, try using the suggested popular terms option underneath the search bar. These might help you locate a different term or terms that would be more effective.

Search results can also be filtered by subject on the results page. There the subject filter lists subtopics and alternative terms relating to the initial search. Simply placing a check in the box next to the term will update your search results with resources on that topic.

If the subject of your search contains more than one word, remember to put quotation marks around it. For example, use “acid rain” or “19th Amendment” or “myocardial infarction”. This approach is important whether

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you’re using a search engine or a database. Remember, quotation marks tell search engines and databases that you would like to keep your search terms together in a specific order. In Irwin’s case, since the focus of his paper is social networking, his subject search would look like this screenshot.

Notice that Irwin selected SU Subject Terms from the drop-down menu to search for social networking as a subject of a resource. This will reduce the number of search results he receives and ensure they are more targeted toward his research topic.

Quick Tip!

Database Hyperlinks

Look for hyperlinked subject terms and author names when searching library databases. These hyperlinks provide quick shortcuts to additional articles written by the linked author or other articles related to the linked subject term.

Search Operators

Now that you have learned how to conduct different types of searches, let’s discuss how you can broaden or narrow them through the use of search operators, words that can be used in a keyword search to produce a more focused set of results. Also known as Boolean operators, search operator terms such as “AND,” “OR,” and “NOT” can alter and sometimes enhance your results, as follows.

The word “AND” between two terms requires the return of only results that contain both terms. If only one term is contained in a resource, it will not appear in your search results. Example: “social networking” AND “society”

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The word “OR” between two terms means either term in a resource can be returned. Example: “social networking” OR “social media”

The word “NOT” requires that any resource that includes that term will not be given in your search results. Example: “social networking” NOT “social media”

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As technology has evolved, some database vendors have decided to include search operators next to their search boxes, so you can select the operator you want instead of typing it into the search box. This is shown in the following example.

When using the Google search engine, you no longer need to use the standard terms “AND” and “NOT.” The term “AND” is now implied when you type a string of terms into a Google search box. Google still recognizes the term “NOT.” However, it also recognizes the minus sign (–) as indicating “NOT.” Try using the minus sign in front of search terms you want to exclude from your search, and Google will search for websites that do not use those words. For example, if you are looking for information on things to do in San Diego, but you do not want to visit SeaWorld, try typing “San Diego” –“SeaWorld”. You should not include a space between the minus sign and the opening quotation marks before the name SeaWorld. Typing this search into a Google search box will ensure you receive results about San Diego but none that include information on SeaWorld.

Google still recognizes the term “OR,” and it still functions as just described. Try using it with synonymous keywords when conducting background research. Typing San Diego OR SeaWorld will help you find applicable websites related to either topic.

Advanced Searching Techniques

Once you get a feel for locating and accessing information in a digital library, you’ll be ready to explore some advanced database searching techniques that will help focus and refine your search results more effectively.

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These tools are simple to use and can make a tremendous impact on the quality of your search results. An advanced search contains many different options for broadening and narrowing your search results. It should be your preferred way of searching, since it allows you to search several keywords and phrases at once while also combining keyword searches with subject, title, and author searches. Let’s see how Irwin applies advanced database searching techniques to gather resources for his paper.

A Search for Multiple Concepts Searching for multiple concepts at once allows you to narrow your focus and reduce the number of search results. When you’re conducting this type of search, it’s important to keep each concept in a separate search box. Irwin decides to conduct a subject search on “social networking” and “social media” to find resources that will help him gain a better understanding of how both topics relate to each other.

Next Irwin begins to strategically use different combinations of his keywords as search terms. The librarian suggested that he keep a list of the keyword combinations he tries so that he doesn’t lose track of his searches. He begins by taking a close look at the list of keywords he brainstormed earlier:

“social networking” “social media” society workplace Facebook LinkedIn Marshall McLuhan

Notice that Irwin crossed off the last keyword, since he successfully found the information he was looking for during his author search. After looking closely at how his keywords relate, he begins structuring his database searches. He groups the concepts “social media,” Facebook, and society together. He decides to perform a search using those terms.

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This search results in over 140,000 matches! This is way too many for Irwin to search through. He decides to change Facebook to a subject search and keep “social media” and society as keywords.

This search gives Irwin just over 5,000 results, which is not yet manageable. After combing through his search results, Irwin tries adding the term Facebook back in as a keyword and moves “social media” to a subject term. He continues to strategically experiment by performing different searches using different keywords and subjects. When Irwin is ready, he updates his list with the search combinations he has tried and crosses out the keywords he no longer needs to search with (Table 3.3). After a time, he ends up completing enough different combinations of keywords to find the resources he needs to write his paper.

Table 3.3: Irwin’s revised list of keywords and searches

Keywords Search terms

Round 1 “social networking” “social media” society workplace Facebook LinkedIn Marshall McLuhan

“social media” Facebook society “social media” Facebook—Subject society “social media”—Subject Facebook society “social networking” Facebook society

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Keywords Search terms

Round 2 “social networking” “social media” society workplace Facebook LinkedIn Marshall McLuhan

“social networking” LinkedIn “social networking”—Subject LinkedIn workplace “social networking” workplace “social media”—Subject workplace LinkedIn “social media” LinkedIn “social media workplace

Truncation Another search technique is called truncation. Truncation places a special symbol at the end of a word to retrieve all possible endings of that word. To truncate a word while keyword searching library databases, use the asterisk (*), which you can enter by pressing Shift and 8 at the same time. This asterisk notifies the database that you would like to search for all variations of that of word. For example, typing ethic* in the search box tells the database to retrieve items that have the words “ethic,” “ethics,” “ethical,” or “ethicist.” Or typing instruct* will bring up “instruct,” “instruction,” and “instructional.”

Wildcard and Truncation Symbols

Critical-Thinking Question

Wildcard and Truncation Symbols From Title:

Effective Internet Search: Basic Tools and Adv... (https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx? wID=100753&xtid=43788)

 0:000:00 / 0:57 / 0:57 1x1x

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1. Perform an Internet search using truncation. What did you find? Were your search results effective?

Limiters Another advanced technique for refining your search results is to use special limiters, options that allow you to weed out results that may not be useful to your research. For example, when searching for scholarly information in a library’s database, you will always want to limit your results to scholarly/peer reviewed by checking the appropriate limiter box. In addition, you may also limit your results by date, type of publication, source of information (journals, magazines, newspapers, and so on), subject (which was mentioned earlier), and more. In many databases, you can find these options on your search results page.

During their conversation, the librarian showed Irwin the limiters available, focusing on the scholarly/peer reviewed and date options. Since Irwin needs at least two scholarly sources for his assignment, she showed him how to check the Limit to Scholarly/Peer Reviewed option. Additionally, since Irwin’s topic was on a type of technology, she suggested he play with the date range option and look for articles that had been published within the past 2 to 3 years. This will ensure Irwin is using the most current information on his topic. Using these tips, he was able to successfully complete the searches he conducted earlier and collect a few articles for his paper.

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Quick Tip!

Refining Your Searching Techniques

If you find yourself struggling with using advanced searching techniques or even with how to brainstorm keywords, check out your library’s educational resources. Most university libraries offer multiple resources covering a range of topics on how to navigate the digital library. The following video covers

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advanced search techniques for the EBSCOhost database specifically: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7-HO19Xxb0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7-HO19Xxb0) .

The Internet

The Internet consists of interconnected networks of billions of computers and devices all over the world. These networked devices have compatible communication standards, so they can share information with one another. The Internet can be accessed through a device (computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone, and so on) that has a connection to an Internet service provider (ISP) or cellular service provider. The type of connection provided by an ISP can greatly affect the speed with which it connects to websites, opens files, and streams videos. When signing up for Internet service, you have the option of cable, digital subscriber line, fiber-optic, or satellite connections. Spend some time investigating your ISP options and the type of connection that will work best for you.

Browser Information on the Internet can best be accessed through a browser, a software program that accesses, reads, and displays information from the Internet. Browsers communicate with a webpage and display its information in a clear visual presentation. Here are a few of the most popular browsers, each of which has a unique set of features.

Mozilla Firefox for Windows & Mac (https://www.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/new (https://www.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/new) ) Microsoft Edge for Windows (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge (https://www.microsoft.com/en- us/edge) ) Google Chrome for Windows & Mac (https://www.google.com/chrome/ (https://www.google.com/chrome/) ) Safari for Mac (https://www.apple.com/safari/ (https://www.apple.com/safari/) )

Whatever browser you choose, over time you might notice its effectiveness waning. Websites might not look quite right and may load more slowly than usual or not at all. You might notice you’re unable to watch videos or open PDF files. These could be signs that your browser has become bogged down. As you surf the Internet, other sites may be updating to newer versions of software, and eventually, your browser might not be able to keep up. Luckily, routine maintenance, such as clearing your cookies and cache, can keep your browser healthy.

Cookies and Cache When you’re using the Internet, the websites you visit store small text files called cookies on your computer. Depending on the browser you are using, cookies will be stored in different file folders on your hard drive. When you revisit a website, these cookies provide information to the website’s server, such as details about what you clicked on and any preferences you may have saved. Tracking cookies can enable a website to send you targeted ads based on your browsing history, as well as personalize your search results. This means that two people searching the same topic might see very different results based

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Some websites may prompt you to accept cookies before continuing to explore the site. Reading the terms and conditions of the website’s cookies and privacy settings can be important for protecting your privacy. And clearing cookies and cache on your Internet browser may make your searches faster.

on various factors, including their location and browsing history. Although this might sound like an invasion of privacy, cookies can be useful when you want to log back in to a website without signing back in or want a site to remember what you put into your virtual shopping cart. Still, since access to your cookies could compromise your privacy and skew your search results, it’s wise to periodically delete the cookies stored on your computer. (See the links below to learn how.)

To enhance your experience searching online, your browser will download the webpages you view and store them in an area of your computer called the cache (pronounced cash). By doing this, the browser doesn’t have to retrieve the files on each return visit. As a result, at times a less current version of the webpage is displayed or the page does not come up at all.

Again, if your cache and cookies are not cleared regularly, the performance of your browser will slow down as it continues to collect large cookie and cache data files. Clearing your cache and cookies should be a routine part of your week, since it can significantly improve the speed and performance of your browser and protect your privacy. Consider setting a goal of clearing these files out on Day 1 of each new week of a course. Also, keep in mind that clearing your cache and cookies is the first troubleshooting step you should try when experiencing difficulties accessing websites online, including your university’s digital library and its databases. For instructions on how to clear the cache and cookies from your browser, click on the corresponding link below.

Microsoft Edge for Windows (https://clear-my-cache.com/en/windows/microsoft-edge.html (https://clear-my-cache.com/en/windows/microsoft-edge.html) ) Firefox for Windows & Mac (https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-clear-firefox-cache (https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-clear-firefox-cache) ) Safari for Windows & Mac (https://guides.instructure.com/m/4214/l/334964-how-do-i-clear-my- browser-cache-on-a-mac (https://guides.instructure.com/m/4214/l/334964-how-do-i-clear-my-browser-cache- on-a-mac) ) Chrome for Windows & Mac (https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95582 (https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95582) )

Search Engine Once you’ve optimized your Internet connection and browser, consider which search engine you’ll use for your research. A search engine helps you find the information you’re looking for on the Internet, and each one will offer different results and levels of privacy. Examples of popular search engines include the following.

Google (https://www.google.com (https://www.google.com) ) Yahoo! (https://www.yahoo.com (https://www.yahoo.com) ) Bing (https://www.bing.com (https://www.bing.com) ) Ask (https://www.ask.com (https://www.ask.com) ) Google Scholar (https://scholar.google.com/ (https://scholar.google.com/) ) OneSearch (https://www.onesearch.com/ (https://www.onesearch.com/) ) DuckDuckGo (https://duckduckgo.com/ (https://duckduckgo.com/) )

All search engines generally search the same way using an algorithm called natural language searching. Natural language searching understands meaning and ranks your results based on the number of search terms that appear on the webpage. As opposed to when you’re searching on a database, typing a question in a Google search box

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usually yields good results. You can also use the search operators AND, OR, and NOT to further refine your results. Google also offers additional search operators, some of which you can see in Table 3.4.

Table 3.4: Google search operators

Operator Example

Search social media: @ @facebook

Search for a price: $ Ford Focus $5,000

Exclude words: – Football –college

Search related websites: related: Related: apastyle.apa.org

Natural language and search operators are not the only ways that search engines determine which results to give you. They also use an algorithm that decides which webpages it thinks you want to see, based on what you have clicked on in the past. That’s right! Some search engines track you and monitor what types of webpages you clicked on from your past search result lists, whereas other search engines, such as OneSearch and DuckDuckGo, offer private searching without tracking cookies or personalizing your searches based on your browsing history.

Search engine results can sometimes perpetuate harmful stereotypes, yielding starkly different top search results based on race and gender. In one study, for example, researcher Safiya Noble (2013) found that searching on the phrase “Black girls” using Google yielded results in which “Black girls are sexualized or pornified in half (50%) of the first ten results” (p. 1).

Results are also highly influenced by advertising. Noble (2013) explains that

much of the content surfaced in a web search in a commercial search engine is linked to paid advertising, in part, which helps drive it to the top of the page rank, and searchers are not typically clear about the distinctions between “real” information and advertising. (p. 1)

The bottom line is that the search engine you choose will have an impact on your search results. Therefore, it’s worthwhile to compare your results for the same search using a couple of different search engines rather than simply relying on the one you’re most accustomed to using. Often students turn to Google because it’s quick and easy to use, and it provides plenty of results. However, since anyone can publish on the Internet any type of information they want, not all Google results will be reliable. So for academic research, consider trying more than one search engine. Also bear in mind that much of the scholarly information you will need for academic research will not be accessible through popular search engines such as Google or Google Scholar. Although scholarly sources may come up as part of your search results, full-text articles may be hidden behind a paywall. Subscription to a database or a source’s publishing journal will likely be required. In such cases search for these sources via your university’s digital library, which will likely provide you access. By collecting information from a variety of sources, including sources in the digital university library, you’re more likely to gather a well- rounded selection of material on your research topic.

Section 3.3 Knowledge Check Quiz

1. A university library organizes its materials according to __________. A. an online catalog

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B. databases C. a card catalog

2. In a database keyword search, which of the following is an example of a truncation? A. genetic- B. genetic* C. genetic. . .

3. To improve the speed and performance of your computer, clear out your __________ regularly. A. search engine B. Flash Player C. cache and cookies

Answers 1 (B), 2 (B), 3 (C)

List of Wikipedia Stub Articles

Article Name and Link B.B. King Museum

Sample Subtopics Who was B.B. King?

How did B.B. King influence music culture?

Did B.B. King originate the Blues?

Sample Keyword • “B.B. King”

• "B.B. King" "influence" "music"

• "B.B. King" "blues"

BoardGameGeek What is the structure of BoardGameGeek?

What is the impact of online ratings?

• BoardGameGeek

• BoardGameGeek, reviews

Board of Education Who serves on a school board?

What is the impact of a school board on school performance?

Is there a difference between suburban and rural school boards?

• “school board”, voting

• “school board”, performance

• “school board”, rural

Career Development What is career development?

How should college students utilize career development?

• “Career Development”, planning

• “College Student Career Development”

Chocolate Brownie What are the nutritional elements of a chocolate brownie?

What are the ingredients for a chocolate brownie?

• "nutrition" "chocolate brownie"

• "ingredients" "chocolate brownie"

• "allergies" "chocolate brownie"

What types of allergies are made worse by eating chocolate brownies?

Day School What is the difference between students in day school vs boarding school?

What is the impact of full day school?

What is the impact of the four-day school week?

• “Day school" boarding

• “Day school" impact

• "four-day school" student

Article Name and Link Sample Subtopics Sample Keyword Golden parachute What are ethical issues related to

golden parachutes?

How do golden parachutes affect shareholder earnings?

• “golden parachute” ethics

• “golden parachute” dividend

Management Management v. leadership—the same or different?

Managing virtual teams/work from home employees

• management leadership

• management “virtual teams”

Net Worth Does net worth relate to health?

Does net worth relate to happiness?

• "net worth" health

• "net worth" happiness

Retail Clerk Job Satisfaction in Customer Service Industry

Customer Service Representative Impact on Customers

• "customer service representative"

• "customer service representative", job satisfaction

• "customer service representative", customer impact

Social engagement Social engagement and student retention

Social engagement and marketing

• “social engagement” student retention

• “social engagement” marketing

• “social engagement” advertising

Social Services What are the types of social services?

What is the impact of social services?

• "Types of Social Services"

• "Impact of Social Services"