Searching
After you have listed search terms and subject terms describing your topic, you create a search statement with them. Then, you will choose the source where you will search with the statement.
Search techniques
In search statements, various search techniques, such as Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT), phrase search, truncation and wildcard symbols, are used to change your information need into something that the database can understand. Try searching with different combinations of search terms and several search statements for best search results.
The Boolean operators AND, OR, and NOT are used to combine search terms into search statements. They are usually written in all capital letters, so that the database differentiates their function from other words. In some databases you can choose the operator, for example, from a drop-down menu, so you do not have to type them. NB! In Alma-Finna, the AND operator is automatically applied to search terms which have an empty space between them.
The AND operator searches for results including ALL search terms.
"renewable energy" AND attitudes
The OR operator searches for results including one or several search terms. Usually used to combine synonyms and terms of the same topic: Green OR renewable OR sustainable
The NOT operator excludes results with the search term. Be careful when using the NOT operator, there is a risk of missing relevant sources!
By truncating the search term, you include various word endings and spellings to your search. The most common truncation symbols are, depending on the database, the asterisk * and question mark ?. Always check the database's own instructions for the correct symbol. In some databases, you can truncate from the beginning of the word, which gives you terms ending with the word.
adolescen* -> adolescent, adolescents, adolescence, ... (d.v.s. alla ord som börjar på adolescen).
organi?ation -> organization eller organisation
Some databases automatically truncate search words. However, in most library databases, including Alma-Finna, you still need to manually truncate words. Whether a database uses automatic truncation or not can usually be found on the databases help page.
Phrase search is used to search for concepts that consist of two or more words. By adding quotation marks around the concept, you get search results that include the words in that exact order. Longer sentences are not phrases because the search might be too detailed and thus impossible for the search engine or database to match. Single words are not phrases either but hyphenated words are.
"renewable energy" OR "förnybara naturresurser"
"social media" AND Facebook
work AND "self-leadership"
"human resource management"
Choosing information sources
Books, journals, encyclopedia, standards, statistics, laws, patents, databases, online resources, experts - there are many sources of information!
Choosing the information source is influenced by your topic, information need and criteria. It is good to search for information from several different sources, printed and electronic.
Knowing the essential information sources and learning to use the key databases in your field is helpful. Disciplines differ when it comes to publication cultures and practices. So-called "hard sciences" focus on international peer reviewed journals, whereas national books and journals are more important for humanities and social sciences. It is, however, sometimes possible to find relevant information from sources which are not directly related to your field.
Different types of databases
Fulltext databases contain the source material (i.e. articles)
Reference databases contain a reference of the source, bibliographic information and possibly an abstract, but not necessarily the source itself. A link to the original database with the source usually exists. Note that the full source itself may be available in another database that we have a license to.
Citation databases includes information about citations and other bibliographic information. Here you can find which publications have cited a source, which can be useful in finding newer research about a topic.