Academic Search Strategies and Tools

Prepping to Search

  • Research Question Example: The example research question used is "Please consider other measures over Chinese human rights violations or of Olympics."

  • Identifying Keywords:

    • From the example research question, initial keywords are identified: Olympics, boycott, and human rights/human rights violations.

    • It's emphasized to be broad initially, e.g., "human rights violations" instead of "China's human rights violations."

  • Identifying Synonyms and Variations:

    • After identifying primary keywords, the next step is to brainstorm synonyms and variations to broaden the search results.

    • Examples:

      • Boycott: profit, avoid, refuse, exclude.

      • Olympics: Olympic Games, 24th24^{th} Olympics.

      • Human Rights: Civil rights, national rights.

  • Boolean Operators (BOLIN Operators): These are data searching tools used to combine search words and must be written in uppercase.

    • AND:

      • Connects keywords, requiring both terms to be present in the search results.

      • Example: "boycott AND Olympics" will return articles containing both "boycott" and "Olympics."

    • OR:

      • Connects keywords, requiring at least one of the terms to be present in the search results.

      • Typically used to combine variations or synonyms of a single concept.

      • Example: "boycott OR avoid OR exclude" will return articles containing any of these terms.

    • Combining AND and OR:

      • When used together, they must be grouped separately, similar to mathematical equations, using parentheses.

      • Example: "(boycott OR avoid) AND (games OR support)" will filter results combining synonyms for one concept with another concept.

  • Phrase Searching (Quotation Marks):

    • Used for multi-word terms or collocations (phrases).

    • Enclosing terms in quotation marks forces the search engine to treat them as an exact phrase.

    • Example: ""Olympic Games"" will search for the exact phrase, whereas "Olympic AND Games" might return documents with "Olympic" in one place and "Games" in another.

    • Without quotation marks, the search reads words separately, which can lead to irrelevant results (e.g., "Olympic" and "games" might bring up non-Olympic related games).

    • Other example: ""sport business"" instead of "sport AND business."

Executing the Search

  • Where to Search:

    • Omni: Presented as the most optimal and easiest primary search tool for university students, acting as the library catalog.

    • Google Scholar: A widely used tool, especially for master's students, recognized for its broad scope though it may lack Omni's advanced filtering or access to licensed articles.

    • PubMed: Mentioned as another common search tool.

  • Using Omni Advanced Search:

    • Omni's interface allows for advanced searching beyond a simple "search anything" bar.

    • Users can click on "Advanced Search" to access filters.

    • Search Filters:

      • Boolean Operators: The interface provides dropdowns for AND, OR, NOT, so users don't need to type them manually.

      • Resource Type: Allows filtering by categories like "articles," "books," "academic articles," "master's or PhD dissertations," and "peer-reviewed articles."

      • Language: Supports searches in multiple languages for bilingual users.

      • Year Range: Important for filtering by recent articles to ensure relevancy, though older articles can still be valuable.

      • Peer Reviewed: An explicit filter to ensure academic rigor.

  • Reviewing Search Results:

    • Results often indicate if an article is peer-reviewed directly on the listing.

    • Citation Tools: Search platforms (like Omni and Google Scholar) offer built-in citation options, usually accessible by clicking a quotation mark icon.

    • These tools provide citations in various styles (e.g., MLA, APA, Chicago, Harvard, Vancouver), with APA style being the focus for this university.

    • Users can copy and paste these pre-formatted citations into their reference lists, saving time and ensuring accuracy.

  • Research Support and Resources:

    • Librarian Assistance: Students have access to dedicated librarians (e.g., Stephanie for Rec and Leisure Studies) who provide research and reference assistance.

    • Other Academic Resources:

      • Subject Guides: Specific guides like "Sports Discus Focus" and "Web Science" for various academic fields.

      • Academic Journals: Renowned journals relevant to the field (e.g., "Annals of Tourism," "Leisure Studies," "Journal of Sport Management") are crucial resources.

  • Cautions Regarding AI and Referencing:

    • While AI can be helpful for paraphrasing, users must be cautious.

    • Problem 1: Incorrect Attribution: AI might misattribute quotes or ideas, failing to correctly state who said what (e.g., "Spencer said" when it was actually "Prod" who said it).

    • Problem 2: Incorrect Page Numbers: AI might generate incorrect page numbers for references.

    • Importance of Verification: Always double-check AI-generated information against the original source to avoid plagiarism, which can severely impact academic records.

Upcoming Session

  • The next session will delve deeper into APA style and specifically how to interact effectively and responsibly with AI when using APA.