Chapter 3: Conducting Research
Introduction
This chapter outlines techniques for conducting research. Strong research skills are important for academic success. They’re also an important part of being a good digital citizen. Digital citizenship is the ability to navigate our digital environments safely and respectfully. Strong research skills are one of many tools that can help us to conduct ourselves in a safe, respectful way in digital environments. This can include knowing where to find reliable information, and how to evaluate and fact check that information, including information found on websites and through social media. This chapter explains the process of conducting research, and Chapter Four includes tips for evaluating the resources found during that research.
Research is a process and a learned skill, and it takes time and practice to get good at it. A strong research process is made up of the following steps:
- Understanding the requirements and expectations of the assignment
- Choosing a topic
- Becoming familiar with the resources available through the library and the Internet
- Effectively searching these resources to find information that meets the needs of the assignment
- Evaluating that information to determine its accuracy and credibility, and to determine if it meets the criteria of the assignment. This is covered in Chapter Four
What does this look like in practice?
Conducting Research
A Note About Google
When we talk about research, it is important to talk about Google and other internet search engines. Google is a great tool for finding information that is known. Google is great for answering questions like, “who is the Governor General of Canada?”, or “what is the population of Vancouver?” Google becomes less helpful when we are looking for more in-depth or scholarly information. Why?
- Imagine the world’s information like an iceberg. When we see an iceberg in the ocean, only a small part of it is actually visible; most of the iceberg is under water. Search engines like Google explore what we can see above the water, but they do not search the information below the surface very well, so it is easy to miss useful information and context.
- Google searches for the words that we type in. However, it does not always assume that we want results that use other, related words. This means that information can be missed.
- Google does not evaluate the information it finds. It does not differentiate between accurate information and inaccurate information. And because anyone can put anything on the Internet, there is no guarantee that what Google is finding is credible and reliable. It is very easy to be fooled by things we read online!
- Google does not do the best job of finding scholarly or peer reviewed content. When Google does find these sources, the information is often behind a paywall; the website or database will ask for a payment to access the information.
This does not mean that Google is a bad thing or that it should never be used! Just remember that when it comes to research, Google should not be the only tool you use. If a piece of information found on the Internet is going to be used for an essay or assignment, make sure to verify it with another reliable source, like those found in a library.
What About Google Scholar?
Google Scholar is a free online search engine that focuses on scholarly literature. Like Google, it has advantages and disadvantages:
Advantages of Google Scholar
There are a lot of great things about Google Scholar:
- Google Scholar is fast and easy to use, convenient, and it can find thousands of scholarly, peer reviewed sources in seconds.
- It looks similar to Google, so it feels familiar and comfortable to use.
- It has tools to help with citations, finding other resources that cite the one being looked at, and for creating notifications of new publications on a topic.
- Google Scholar is great for open access journals and grey literature. Library search engines do not capture gray literature very well, and Google Scholar can be an excellent way to access these resources.
Challenges with Google Scholar
Like Google, Google Scholar can present some challenges when you’re researching:
- Sometime, Google Scholar has trouble telling the difference between scholarly and popular resources. It is important to read carefully to make sure that the article, book or other resource meets the criteria of the assignment.
- Google Scholar often links to articles on commercial publisher websites, and sometimes, these sites will have a paywall, meaning that payment is required to access the article.
- It is important to remember that Google Scholar is an index; it is a list of resources, not a full text database. Some links may show the full text, while others show only an abstract or a description, along with a paywall.
- Google Scholar might show different versions of the same article such as pre-prints, which can be different from the version published in a journal.
These challenges do not mean that Google Scholar should never be used. Think of it as one more tool in your research toolbox. Just remember that, like Google, it should not be the only tool you use. It is important to be careful and think critically, and to always verify and cite sources properly – and this is true for all research tools!
The Research Process
This handbook divides research into four parts:
- Planning the research process
- Discovering more about the research topic
- Building a list of search words
- Advanced searching
Part 1: Planning
Before searching on a library’s website or on the Internet, it is helpful to have a few important pieces of information. This information will help you to make decisions as you move forward with your research. Remember that this does not need to be complicated! Just read over the assignment and make notes or highlight important points. Below are some questions that can be used to guide the planning process:
- What is the overall question or thesis of the assignment?
- What types of sources are required by the assignment?
- Is a specific format required, such as articles, or literature reviews? Is more than one format required?
- How many sources are required?
- Do sources have to be peer reviewed?
- How current does the information have to be?
- Are there any geographic specifications?
- Is grey literature permitted?
- Are there any other information requirements for the assignment?
Part 2: Discovery – Seeing the Big Picture
Once you know what you need to find, it is time to explore and become familiar with the kinds of information that are available on the research topic. Use the library’s search or the Internet to look at a broad range of issues related to the overall question or thesis. How? Start by doing a basic search using very broad or general terms. To do this, you need to create your first search strategy.
A search strategy is an organized group of words that are used to look for information in a library catalog or database. The search strategy combines all of the key ideas in the research question. Why do you need one? A good search strategy makes it easier to find useful information that is relevant to the topic of the assignment.
To create a search strategy, follow these four steps:
- First, write down the research topic into one to two sentences.
- Second, underline or highlight the most important words in that sentence.
- Third, make a list of these important words. Make sure that the list includes a word for each concept in the topic. In research, these are called keywords.
- Finally, brainstorm alternatives for each of these words. Consider synonyms, broader and narrower terms, alternative spellings, and variations on the same word. This is an area where Google can be very helpful!
What does this look like in practice?
Step One
Write down the research topic into one to two sentences.
Example: I want to find information about sustainable global food security and its impact on health.
Step Two
Underline or highlight the most important words in that sentence.
Example: I want to find information about sustainable global food security and its impact on health.
Step Three
Make a list of these important words, or keywords.
Example:
- sustainable
- global
- food security
- impact
- health
Step Four
Brainstorm alternatives for each of these words.
Example: For this example, we’ve used a chart. A list or a mind map are other ways that this information can be organized. Choose the option that makes the most sense to you.
| Keyword | Alternative Words |
| sustainable | sustainability, eco-friendly, ecological, green, low carbon footprint, zero waste/ low waste |
| global | worldwide, international, world, universal |
| food security | food insecurity, food secure, access to food |
| impact | affect/ effect, influence, |
| health | healthy, physical health, mental health, wellbeing |
Remember! Some keywords might have many alternatives, and others might only have one or two. Both are okay!
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Why do I need to brainstorm other words?
It is important to search for different words that have the same or similar meanings. Why? In English, it is common to use more than one word to describe the same idea. For example, someone might use the word “job”, and someone else might say “work” or “career”. These similar words that have related meanings are called synonyms. The resources in a library’s catalog and databases use synonyms and related words too. It is important to try searching for these to avoid missing out on useful information. Remember that a library’s search will look for the words you type in, but it will not assume that other related words should be included too; you have to ask the search to find them.
Think about spelling variations too. A good example of this is the word “colour”, spelled with a u in Canada, but without a u in other parts of the world. Searching for different variations in spelling of the same word can help you to find more information. This also includes nouns, adjectives, and singular and plural versions of words, like Canada, Canadian, and Canadians
Finally, think about broader and narrower terms. An example of this is searching for the phrase “health care”, when researching a topic related to nursing.
What do I do with these words?
Once the list of keywords and alternative words is complete, combine these words in different ways in a library’s search or in Google Scholar. Searching for different combinations of these words will show different results.
For example, searching for “sustainable global food security” will bring different results than searching for “sustainability in worldwide food security”, but results from both searches could be very useful.
Tip! Start with a general search and make it more specific as you go through this process
There are three goals at this stage in the research process:
- To survey the information available and see what is being written about the research topic
- To check for bias in the literature and in your own views on the topic
- To become aware of a wider variety of issues related to the research question before settling on a direction for your research. You might discover something new that you had never considered!
Tip! Remember that research is not a “one and done” activity. It is very rare to find one resource that meets all of the requirements in an assignment. Instead, it will probably be necessary to use more than one resource to find all of the pieces of information required by an assignment, and it will be necessary to try more than one search. This is okay!
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Part 3: Build the List of Search Words
Every resource in a library has a list of subject headings. The subject headings for a resource can be seen in the list of results in a library’s search. Subject headings give more information about the content of a resource. The subject headings can be used to narrow down or filter a search, to find similar and related content, and they can be included in the list of keywords created in step two. Write down any subject headings that match up with the research topic so they can be included in future searches.
Part 4: Develop a More Strategic Search
Use the list of keywords to perform an advanced search with a more strategic focus. Try the following strategies:
Use Boolean Operators
Boolean operators are words that give search software a specific instruction about how to search and what kind of results to include or leave out. There are three Boolean operators – AND, OR, and NOT.
Using AND between words tells the search software that you want results that include both or all of the words; you can use AND to connect more than two words. The software looks for results that include all of the words you’ve connected with AND. AND focuses and narrows down your search by combining words. AND is often a default in many library databases, and it is often added behind the scenes in a search engine like Google.
Example: sustainable AND global AND food security
Using OR between words tells the search software that you want results that include either the first word OR the second – or the third; you can connect more than two words with OR. OR broadens a search and can be very helpful when you’re searching for a word that has several synonyms. Synonyms are similar words that have related meanings. For example, if you’re searching for information related to “employment”, you might also want to search for words like “work”, “career”, “job”, “vocation”, and so on. It can also be helpful if a word has multiple spellings. A good example of this is the word “colour”, spelled with a u in Canada, but without a “u” in other parts of the world. Finally, it can be helpful for searching broader and narrower terms, such as “health care” when you’re searching for information related to nursing or medicine. Some library databases will suggest synonyms or related words when you begin typing in your search.
Example: sustainable OR sustainability OR eco-friendly
If there is a term you want to omit from your search results, you can include that word in the search, preceded by the word NOT. NOT narrows a search by removing or ignoring elements of a topic. NOT can be challenging to use, and it is important to remember that including it in a search may mean that potentially useful information is left out of the search results. For example, if you were searching for information on dementia but wanted to focus on conditions other than Alzheimer’s, you could search for dementia NOT Alzheimer’s disease. NOT can also be used to clarify your search, for example, “New York NOT New York City”.
Example: health NOT healthcare
Use Brackets
Brackets can be used along with Boolean operators to make a search more focused, and to combine groups of search terms. This is one way to search for variations on the same word, or for several synonyms of a word in a single search. Like a math equation, in a search, any terms in brackets are searched first. More than one Boolean operator and more than one set of brackets can be used in a single search. For example, using brackets around two words connected by AND followed by two connected with OR tells the software that you want all of the words in the brackets, and one of the two words that follow the brackets. In practice, it might look something like this:
(sustainable OR sustainability) AND (global OR worldwide) AND (food security OR food insecurity) AND (impact OR influence OR effect) AND health
Alternatively, using a library’s advanced search screen:
On an advanced search screen, Instead of using brackets, each concept appears on its own line, with synonyms and related words separated by OR.
Use Truncation
Another searching technique that can be used is truncation. When truncation is used, a word ending is replaced by a symbol. Different databases use different truncation symbols, so it is important to make sure you know which symbol to use. This information can often be found on the database’s “Help” screen. One of the most common symbols used is the asterisk. Using truncation tells the search software to search for different forms simultaneously. It increases the number of search results found and can be very useful when you’re looking for different variations on a word. For example, if you type “music” immediately followed by an asterisk, the search software will bring results that include music, musical, musician, musicians, musicality, and so on.
Using truncation can be challenging! It can sometimes bring unexpected or irrelevant results, especially if the truncation symbol is placed too soon. For example, if you typed “mus*”, you would get a wide range of words like must, muse, mustard, museum, muscle, and so on – in addition to variations on the word “music”. Placing the truncation symbol too soon can bring in too many results that aren’t useful.
Quotation Marks
Unlike using AND, which means that the search terms will appear anywhere in the results, using quotation marks around search terms tells the search software to find exactly those words in exactly that order. This is sometimes called an Exact Phrase search. Using quotation marks is a good way to find a specific resource by title, e.g.: “The publication manual of the American psychological association”.
Remember! When using quotation marks in a search, capitalization does not matter, but spelling does.
Many search engines – including library catalogues and databases and Google – leave out common words in English and in other languages, such as “the”, “of” or “I” in English, “la” (which means “the” in Spanish) and “de” (which means “of” in French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese). These are called “stop words”. When a search engine ignores a term critical to a search, e.g., LA (common abbreviation for Los Angeles), enclose the term in quotation marks.
Remember that using quotation marks will provide a smaller number of results, and it might mean that useful information is left out of the list of results. When using quotation marks in a search, it is also important to verify the correct order of the words and the correct spelling.
What’s Next?
All of these techniques can be used in a single search. Try these techniques with different words from the list you created earlier and explore the results that come up. You can learn more about research using Research Like a Librarian: A How-to Guide. This open educational resource was created by staff in the Parrott Centre Library, and a link to the handbook can be found in the list of sources at the end of this chapter.
The next chapter introduces techniques for evaluating resources and information.
Sources
Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) (n.d.). Creative Commons. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Canada’s Centre for Digital Media Literacy. (2024). What is digital citizenship? https://mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacy/general-information/digital-media-literacy-fundamentals/what-digital-citizenship
College Libraries Ontario. (2023). How to research. The Learning Portal. https://tlp-lpa.ca/research/how-to-research
College Libraries Ontario. (2024). The digital citizenship hub. The Learning Portal. https://tlp-lpa.ca/digital-citizenship
CQUni Library. (n.d). Truncation. CQUniversity Australia. https://library-resources.cqu.edu.au/learning-objects/truncation.htm
Dupuis, J. (2023). Research like a librarian: A how-to guide. Parrott Centre Library, Loyalist College of Applied Arts and Technology. https://loyalistcollege.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/delivery/01LOYALIST_INST:01LOYALIST/1269747200005116
Emon, D. (2020). OneSearch – Surveying the literature – Preparing to Research. [Handout]. Parrott Centre Library, Loyalist College of Applied Arts and Technology.
How can I search for a specific phrase?. (n.d.). University of Toronto Libraries. https://onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/faq/how-can-i-search-specific-phrase
Logsdon, P. (2014). What is the difference between simple search and advanced search in Primo? University Libraries, Washington University in St. Louis. https://libanswers.wustl.edu/faq/10836
San Jacinto College Library. (2021). Advanced searching. San Jacinto College. https://sjcd.libguides.com/c.php?g=542775&p=3719869
Upstate Library. (2021). Boolean searching. University of South Carolina. https://uscupstate.libguides.com/Boolean_Searching
University of Toronto Libraries (n.d.). What are Boolean operators? How can I use them to improve my searches? University of Toronto. https://onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/faq/what-are-boolean-operators-how-can-i-use-them-improve-my-searches
Verspoor, F. (2015). Basic search vs. advanced search. Royal BC Museum. https://staff.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/2015/10/16/archives-collection-search-basic-search-vs-advanced-search/
Research is the process of finding and discovering knowledge to find answers to a question.
Digital citizenship is the ability to navigate our digital environments in a way that is safe and responsible, and to actively and respectfully engage in digital or online spaces.
A webpage (or web page) is a document that can be displayed in a web browser likeFirefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Apple Safari. A website is a collection of web pages that are grouped together and usually connected in some day. A website is sometimes called a site.
Resources, sometimes called sources, are sources of information; this is where information is found when conducting research. This can sometimes lead to confusion, because one of the pieces of information in a reference list entry is also called a source.
A database is an organized collection of information that can be searched. Databases can hold different kinds of information, including journal articles, newspaper articles, eBooks, streaming videos, etc.
Academic journals, sometimes called “peer reviewed” or “scholarly” journals are ideal for finding in-depth current research in a specific area. They publish academic or scholarly articles. These articles are written by experts in a field of study. They’re longer, written in an academic style, use professional terminology and language, and the topic of the article is narrowly focused and explored in-depth. They’re heavy on text and light on illustration, but may contain charts, graphs, and other statistical data. The content in the article is typically based on either original research or authorities in the field, instead of personal opinion. Sources are well cited in a particular format, like APA Style, and there are both in-text citations or foot- or endnotes, and a bibliography or works cited page. Often, journal issues will have a volume and issue number – like Volume 6 Issue 4. Journal covers are usually plain with an emphasis on the key research articles in a particular issue.
Grey literature refers to sources of information that are produced outside of traditional publishing and distribution channels, and can include reports, policy literature, working papers, newsletters, government documents, speeches, white papers, urban plans, infographics, and more. Grey literature is not typically peer-reviewed.
Books provide overviews, background, history and introductions as well as in-depth examinations of topics. It's common to wonder about the differences between books and eBooks, and which one is better. The only difference between books and eBooks is access and format; print books are physical items and eBooks are digital files that can be accessed from a variety of devices. The content and quality are the same.
An abstract is a summary of the content of an article or book. Article abstracts often appear at the beginning of an article, before the introduction.
“Advanced search” can mean one of two things:
An advanced search screen. These search screens have more than one box, and filters like format and date often appear besides the search boxes. The advanced search screen might also allows the researcher to specify where they want a word to be located – in the title of the resource, the subject headings, etc. This combination of multiple search boxes and filters creates a more focused search.
OR
Advanced search techniques, such as Boolean operators, truncation, and the use of brackets and quotation marks.
The thesis is a sentence that states the topic and purpose of an essay. The kind of thesis statement being written will depend on the type of essay being written.
A literature review is a summary and explanation of the current research – or literature – on a focused topic. A information being summarized and explained might be found in academic books, journal articles, or other sources connected to the subject of study. Literature reviews aim to provide an overview of sources that were explored while researching a particular topic. It shows readers how the research fits into a larger field of study.
Peer review is the process of evaluating submissions to an academic journal. Before the article is accepted for publication, it’s evaluated by a group of people who are experts in the topic of the article, or in the same discipline as the author(s) of the article – in other words, the peers of the author(s).
A basic search is a search in a library that uses a small number of carefully selected words typed into one search box. A basic search is usually very general, and is often used at the beginning of the research process. A basic search looks for the specified words everywhere – in titles, descriptions, subject headings, etc.
Keywords are the words used to search for information in a library or in a search engine like Google or Google Scholar.
A synonym is a word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word or phrase in the same language, e.g.: work, career, vocation, employment and job are synonyms.
A subject heading is a tag or label that provides more information about the content of a library resource.
Truncation is a technique that is used while looking for information using a library’s search. A word ending is replaced by a symbol, like an asterisk, to find words with that start with the same letters but have different endings, i.e.: nurs* would find the words nurse, nurses, and nursing.
