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Refining / Improving Results Boolean Operators & Truncation

Refining / Improving Results Boolean Operators & Truncation. ITOCA / IDS. How to improve searching. By the end of this session, you will practise using: Search strategy Keywords or Key Phrases Mind-map Search tables (Concept Tables) Searching techniques to improve results

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Refining / Improving Results Boolean Operators & Truncation

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  1. Refining / Improving ResultsBoolean Operators & Truncation ITOCA / IDS

  2. How to improve searching • By the end of this session, you will practise using: • Search strategy • Keywords or Key Phrases • Mind-map • Search tables (Concept Tables) • Searching techniques to improve results • Combining searches • Grouping terms • Boolean Operators • Truncation • Limits • Others…?

  3. Search Tips • Now we have a ‘search table’ using controlled terms • Let’s consider how best to develop a search strategy to improve / refine search results, using: • Word Stems (Truncation) • Phrase Searching • Field Searching or Limits • Controlled Terms • Grouping Terms (Boolean Operators)

  4. Searching by Word Stem • Is there a short way of searching for variants of a word, rather than inputting a string of ORs? E.g. • Child, childhood, children • Nutrition, nutritional

  5. Searching by Word Stem • Truncation • Usually *, e.g. child*, nutrition* • Sometimes other symbols (e.g. $, ?) • Wildcard • Usually ?, wom?n • Could solve problems to do with plurals/singulars, spelling variations, and variations of a root word

  6. Phrase Searching • Word searching and phrase searching. If you type in more than one term: • Some systems interpret this as a phrase • Some systems give a phrase search option • Others interpret this as an “AND” search (e.g. Google, AGORA) • If you want to search for a phrase, enclose the words in quotation marks, e.g. “South Africa” • Could solve problems of the phrase you searched for not appearing

  7. Field Searching or ‘Limits’ • Many databases allow you to restrict your searches by “field” or “Limits”, • e.g. Title, Subject key words/phrases, Author etc. • Could solve problems of getting too many matches

  8. Choosing Correct Term • Some databases offer a “browse” function, so you can choose terms from a Subject list • Probably most effective when combined with a field search • Could solve problems caused by searching on the “wrong” synonym, or those caused by acronyms. • Could solve problems of getting too few matches

  9. Grouping terms and combining searches (1) • Sometimes you are able to “group” terms, either by: • Putting them in a separate search box, or • Enclosing them in brackets • Combining searches • Some systems allow you to combine searches that you have already done • Could solve some problems caused by not getting enough matches

  10. Boolean searching • Allows you to specify how the search terms are combined • Uses commands (operators) such as AND, OR, NOT • Different search tools may use different symbols (e.g. ‘+’ for ‘AND’, ‘-’ for ‘NOT’) • Different search tools may use OR or AND as a default setting

  11. education literacy Query: I would like information about education or literacy

  12. education literacy Query: I'm interested in the relationship between education and literacy

  13. education secondary Query: I want to see information about education, but I want to avoid seeing anything about secondary

  14. Group Practicals – Boolean Operators • Stand up, if you are: • Lecturer AND Librarian • Librarian AND Trainer • Lecturer AND Female • Lecturer AND Male OR Female • Can you think of any examples?

  15. Individual / Pair Activity: 20 mins • Using the search table you have created • Conduct searches using range of search techniques (i.e. search strategy) • Use a R4L product to find relevant material / resources • Make observations & be prepared to feedback your thoughts to the group, at the end of the session • Relevant results? • Number of results?

  16. Search Strategy • Strategy 1 - water, health conditions, pollution • Strategy 1a - Water AND “Health Conditions” AND Pollut* (1,240) Kenya (141) “urban areas” NOT Nairobi (3) • Strategy 2 – search “water, health, pollution” • Strategy 3 – search “rivers, diseases, pollution” • “Health problems” urban+areas “water pollut*” AND Nairobi NOT Mombasa

  17. “urban areas” NOT Nairobi • “Water pollut*” AND “health conditions”, KENYA

  18. Individual / Pair Activity • Think of a ‘real work-related scenario’ where you would be looking for specific information • Define your information needs • Create a mind-map of the related terms • Begin to ‘cluster’ your concepts / terms • Create a search table & begin to search for the information • Use a R4L product

  19. Search strategies and techniques:Summary of search tips • Boolean connectors (AND, OR, NOT) to connect terms within your search. • Quotation marks to specify a phrase or an exact match,- e.g. "action research", “human rights”. • Asterix (*) for truncation – e.g. school* to find schools or schooling. • Question mark (?) as a ‘wildcard’ – e.g. democrati?ation to find democratisation or democratization (note­ – this one is not as common as other rules above) • Brackets for grouping (determining the order in which terms will be combined).

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