There are more than a billion websites and more than 800,000 books are published each year. But where exactly can you find the information you need? In this training you will learn how to find reliable information relevant to your studies in a smart and fast way.
Train your information skills
The skills you need to search, find, assess, and process information are called information skills. In higher education, one of the student competencies is developing information skills. It is an important part of the competency 'research skills'. This training is aimed at increasing your information skills. The training is meant for first-year Higher Education students, and no specific prior knowledge is necessary to participate.
You will learn:
about the types of available information sources;
to formulate a good research question;
to formulate and use the right search terms;
to search in relevant information sources;
to assess information based on quality; and
how to process your information when writing a report, article, presentation, et cetera
This is how it works:
The training consists of 5 modules, an entry test, and a final test. Each module contains explanations, quizzes, and sometimes short videos. You can go through the modules from start to finish or do them independently. Click on the 'Next' button at the bottom right of this screen to start.
Edubadges:
With this training you can earn an Edubadge. The Edubadge is a digital piece of evidence that proves you have mastered certain skills or knowledge.
Three reasons to apply for the badge:
The badge shows that you have a good basis to confidently start your research
The badge provides content information for a possible follow-up study programme.
The badge can be shared via Social Media, e.g. LinkedIn. It is an addition to your curriculum vitae.
Do you want to earn an Edubadge?
Take the final test after the training. If you complete the test successfully, you can apply for an Edubadge.
Before you get started
Before you start your literature research, you need to think about two things:
Which 'problem' do you want to research? This is also called the problem definition. To define the problem, you must map out the different aspects that you want to research
What is the purpose of your research? This is also called the 'objective'.
Different objectives are possible, for example: You want to gain insight into a specific problem. You intend to (help) solve a problem with your research. You want to inform others.
For example:
Marco is a manager at a business that delivers laptops at home. Many customers return their products, which results in a lot of waste streams. Nobody wants to buy the returned laptops while they function well. That costs the company a lot of money (problem). That is the problem definition.
Marco asks you, as a higher education student, to design an effective marketing strategy, so that those remaining laptops are bought by customers anyway and thus the business generates more turnover and produces less waste (target). So, we call the design of this effective marketing strategy the objective.
The question is a tool that provides you with insight into the problem that needs to be researched and helps you reach your goal. This is discussed in more detail in the chapter Orientation.
1. Orientation
What do you want to look for?
A good start is half the job. Even if you are looking for literature for your assignment, research, or thesis. In the first part of this training we will pay attention to the following:
Start with orientation, create a mind map so you can get a better idea of your subject.
Check to see if there is enough information available about your subject.
Make the subject specific and manageable by defining boundaries.
Formulate a main question that describes exactly what you want to know, and gives direction to your search process.
Formulate sub-questions that support your main question.
Collect search terms based on your main question and sub-questions.
1.1 Start with orientation
If you have chosen a subject, you should first start exploring it, before searching for literature, especially if the subject is new to you. This will give you a better idea of all aspects of your subject, the definitions, facts, and theories. You get to know related terms and concepts, the context, and different approaches. During your orientation you will often find references to important literature on your subject.
Mind maps
Creating a mind map can be a helpful starting point in the orientation phase. You can fill it out quickly and easily on MindMeister, or just on paper. You can also arrive at new insights by simply talking to fellow students or reading about your subject.
Tips for creating a mind map:
Mind mapping on paper helps to unleash creativity. It is a better option than fully developing a mind map digitally.
Place the (general) main subjects in the centre of your sheet
Connect subjects that belong together with lines
Always use one word (or image) per connecting line, not whole sentences.
Start with global associations and then develop these with secondary subjects
Write down everything that comes to mind. Even something that does not seem useful now, may prove to be very valuable later.
1.2 Start with orientation: example
Example: obesity among young people
Suppose for your assignment you are conducting research into child obesity. What can you research? What are the angles or aspects of the subject?
Below you can see the first outline of a mind map. The main subject is in the red cloud. In yellow global subjects that are related to it, in blue subjects that are related to the yellow content. From there, the mind map can be further developed with any information about the subject that you can imagine.
The mind map in this example is far from finished. Much more can be added. For example:
Losing weight, diets, fat shaming, depression, environmental factors, socio-economic factors, income, influencers, biological factors, sleeping patterns, heredity, hormones, cortisol, joint problems, chronic diseases, medication, sports, everyday exercise, the Nutrition Centre, the Ministry of Health... and so on.
By writing all this down in a mind map you can gain perspective on a subject. In this way you have a visual image of the subjects you may have to deal with.
1.3 Exploratory search phase
By creating a mind map you now have a better idea of the subject. Then you will go on a broad information search to find out even more. Which trends apply? What do experts say about your subject? What is written about your subject in literature? It can help to formulate a preliminary main question. That question will give more direction to your search process and help you to make choices. Also use these orientation-based searches to expand/complement your search terms with terms you find in the various relevant documents.
The following sources can be handy throughout your orientation phase:
The web
Of course, you know Google. There are, however, more search engines that you can use: Bing, Ecosia and DuckDuckGo , just to name a few. The search engines generate different search results, and there are differences in their privacy policies.
Encyclopaedias and Wikis
Use (online) encyclopaedias and wikis to get an overview of your subject. The source list of an article that you have found can also help you on your way. Wikipedia often offers reliable information, but anyone can post or modify articles. So always check the information and use this source mainly for your orientation phase.
Professionals / lecturers
Get advice from people in your area of expertise, for example your lecturer. Ask for names of leading professionals or important literature and then continue your search yourself.
Trade literature
These are leading publications about one discipline. Examples are manuals and trade journals. You can find these in the librarycatalogue. Are important publications missing? Send a purchase suggestion.
Journals and newspapers
Newspapers and journals provide insight into current subjects and trends.
PressReader allows you access to hundreds of newspapers and journals from different countries.
Systematic reviews analyse and summarise relevant literature about one subject. In Science Direct you can, for example, filter for 'review articles'.
Visit the library to leaf through trade journals that are relevant for your studies.
During the orientation search phase, you will get an increasingly clear understanding of your subject and available information. You may have found out that there is far too much or far too little information available. The next part of the training will give you tips on how to further define your subject.
1.4 Define your subject
Define your subject
What are the boundaries of your subject, what will you explore further and what you will leave out?
In what period does your subject take place?
What are the key elements within your subject?
Where does the subject take place? What is the language of the publications that include your subject?
What does your lecturer think about this subject?
Progressing from subject to main question
Ask yourself the following questions:
How much time do I have for my assignment?
After all, looking up references and reading documents takes time and you must plan your time realistically.
How extensive should my paper be?
Can you limit yourself to recent literature or should you draw up an extensive literature list and go through older literature as well?
What exactly is the content of the assignment?
Do you only have to collect literature, or do you have to compare content as well?
The biggest problem with research is not that there is a lack of information. Usually you find so much information that you stray from what you wanted to explore. That is why you formulate a main question; you answer this question by means of your research. Try to formulate several sub-questions for this main question. Sub-questions are extra questions to help answer the most important question, the main question. In the next section you will learn how to define good main and sub-questions.
1.5 Define your subject: example
In this example we can show you how to make a subject more specific:
Subject (what, where and when): Obesity in the Netherlands in the 21st century.
The subject is still too broad and produces too many hits. Select an underlying subject and make the period more specific: Influence of food supply on obesity in the last 10 years.
The subject and location can be more specific: Influence of the food supply in Dutch school canteens on obesity over the past 10 years.
A very last specification of subject and category ultimately results in the following question: Over the past 10 years, what has been the influence of food supply in Dutch school canteens on obesity among higher education students?
1.6 Formulate your main question
Have you visualised your subject well? Next, formulate a global main question. Your main question forms your starting point. This question describes exactly what you want to know and gives direction to your search process. It is therefore important to formulate this question well.
Your main question must be straightforward, with clear concepts.
Your main question must be specific to be able to search specifically.
Your main question must be relevant to contribute to the writing of your article, your objective.
Your main question must be formulated openly, so not a question with a "yes" or "no" answer.
Your main question must be realistic, you can find the answer within an acceptable time frame and with sufficient resources. At the same time, the question must also be 'research-worthy'; the answer must add something
Tips: If you start a question with 'what', 'how' or 'which' you automatically have an open question. Do not start the question with 'why', why-questions are often not specific enough.
1.7 Main question: example
"Can obesity be prevented by offering healthy food in canteens?"
This is not a good research question, why?
χClosed question; the question can be answered with yes or no χNot specific; subject, period or field of research are not well indicated (What? When? Where?) χNot clear; the question can be explained in several ways χNot realistic; the more general the question, the more information you need to search and the more time you need.
"Over the past ten years, what has been the influence of the food supply in Dutch school canteens on obesity among higher education students?"
This is a good research question.
V The question is open, specific, and clearly defined.
1.8 Formulate sub-questions
What information do you need to answer your main question?
The main research question cannot be answered in a few words. That is why you split a main question into sub-questions. Each sub-question contributes to answering your main question. If you have answered all sub-questions in your research, it should provide the answer to your main question as well.
Tips for formulating sub-questions:
Sub-questions meet the same requirements as the main question
Sub-questions are derived from the main question; what do you need to know to answer the main question?
Sub-questions are less complex and more specific than the main question
Sub-questions are a tool to help you divide your complex main question into smaller sub-subjects. They create an overview for you as a researcher, but also for the reader who is about to read your research report.
How many sub-questions you need depends on how complex your research is. Assume 2 to 7 sub-questions
Place sub-questions in a logical order, this helps to structure and formulate your research.
A sub-question is not a question leading to a definition.
1.9 Sub-questions: example
Sub-questions: X"What is the definition of obesity?"
Sub-questions are not about formulating definitions. The sub-question should always be needed to answer your main question. X"Does nutritional supply influence obesity?"
That is a closed question.
Better sub-questions are: V "To what extent does the supply of unhealthy food in canteens affect students' diets?" V"What measures are taken in school canteens to reduce obesity among students?" V "What influences students' food choices?"
1.10 Collect search terms
You have come this far, and now you can start coming up with search terms. Translate your main question and sub-questions into useful search terms with which you can search for information. Using the right terms or keywords is very important. If you do not find anything, it may seem as if the information you are looking for is not there. If you use good search terms, your search result will be much better.
Do you find it difficult to come up with suitable search terms? Then use the following tips:
You can find good search terms by scanning relevant articles for general terms.
During the orientation phase you will often come across professional terminology and certain terms. Note these terms down.
Use dictionaries to translate search terms when needed.
Some subject-specific databases have a list of keywords used, a so-called thesaurus. This also allows you to get ideas for search terms
Use the search strategy form to keep an overview during your literature research.
1.11 Search terms: example
"Which measures are taken in school canteens to combat student obesity?"
To find literature on this subject, translate this research question into search terms. Use different search terms and synonyms to find as much relevant information as possible. Has little research appeared on canteens within e.g. higher education? If so, you will need to search more widely. You will need broader search terms for that. For example, 'school canteen', 'school cafeteria' or even broader; 'company canteen'. If you want to zoom in on specific measures, look more closely by adding terms such as: 'candy vending machines' or 'healthy snacks’. In section 3 you can read how to combine search terms in a smart way.
Aspects
Search terms
Obesity
overweight, obese, obesity, healthy
Canteens (Higher Education)
school canteen, bachelor, higher education, students, adolescent, schools
Now you know how and why you must orientate on your subject.
You know how and why to define a subject.
You know what to consider when formulating main- and sub-questions.
You know how and why you collect different search terms.
2. Choosing Sources
You can find a lot of information on the internet and in the library's sources, but how do you find a source that is relevant and useful to you?
Where you search largely determines what you find. You will get research data about obese, young people from a different source than data about the market for food supplements in Japan. To be able to answer your (research) question, you will therefore focus on looking for information in different types of sources.
Much information can be found on the internet, but:
Often this information is rather scattered
The quality is not always easy to determine
You cannot access it because the information is only included in databases for which you must pay
You must log in to view the content of a website. The required information cannot be found through search engines. This is also called the deep or invisible web.
Start with sources provided by the library. These sources have been selected based on quality and offer the information in a structured way. This section looks in more detail at the following sources and what types of information you can find in them:
Library
Types of Information
START (search engine for the digital and physical sources of the library, and world-wide sources as well)
Databases
Information sources per study programme
General search engines
Google Scholar
2.1 Library
As we have mentioned before, we recommend that you start your search at the library:
The sources of the library have been checked and are purchased specifically for the school and your study programme. You can use them for free.
You can start at home and use the library on your own computer. If you want to access one of the sources, you will be asked to log in with your HR account.
You can access the library resources from home by installing the Library Access browser extension. More info can be found at Tools on the library website.
a total list of the library info databases per study programme
explanation about 'search and find' via the Step-by-step plan literature research (tools and documentation) information about how the library can assist you with your search
contact details
2.2 Types of Information
It is important that the information source you choose matches your question in terms of content and form. This requires that you can differentiate between the different types of information. Some examples of types of information are:
Current information
Up-to-date information (news, trends, opinion) addresses recent developments and is intended to stay up to date with what is currently going on in a field.
Background Information
It is important to know exactly what a discipline involves and what relevant concepts and theories mean. This is background information that can be found in (hand)books, professional literature, journals, other publications, and databases.
Factual information
Consists of fixed, measurable, objective data, supplementary statistics, business information, information about countries.
Bibliographical information
Bibliographical information can be found in catalogues of libraries or literature lists. You will only find the description of the data (and in the case of a library catalogue also the location) and not the complete text.
Academic information
Academic information is published in academic journals or books, often in English. You can recognise academic literature by several characteristics:
The text has undergone quality control; peer review. Two or more experts from the same discipline have reviewed the text.
Authors are always mentioned, often including the institution where they work. The style of writing is formal, not informal.
The titles of academic journals are usually quite formal, for example 'Journal of applied behaviour analysis'. The cover and design are often sober, few photos, many graphs, and tables.
The content contains research results, analysis, discussion or recommendations, literature list.
An academic journal only contains academic articles. These are not combined with stories of experience or news items such as in a trade journal or public magazine.
This section includes explanations about where to find different types of information.
2.3 START
START is the library’s search system. START is an abbreviation for STudy And Research Tool: the starting point for your literature research. With this search engine you can find articles, e-books, books in the library and much more. You have direct full text access to online information, and you can reserve books from the library. You can search using START 2 ways:
Basic search: you can enter the title, author or subject here and get a very broad result
Advanced Search: you can choose whether to search by subject, title or, for example, a word from the summary.
Tips!
START can be used on different devices both inside and outside RUAS.
Your search results can be stored in lists, which you can share with others.
With START you can search multiple databases at once, but not all of them. Open other databases via the overview under 'Information sources'.
Have you found an article or book to which you do not have access? In many cases you can request it for a fee from another university of applied sciences or university through Inter Library Loan (ILL). This can easily be done via the "Request external item" button in START or via the online form. For more information and current costs check the library website.
2.4 Databases
Why would you search in a database when you have START and Google Scholar?
Searching in a database gives you more and better search possibilities, which increases the relevance of your search result! A search engine does not contain any information itself but searches different sources. There are limitations to how and where you can search.
What is a database?
A database is a digital collection of data. In a database you will find high quality information that is displayed in a structured way. The library of the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences takes out (paid) licenses with publishers for access. Via hr.nl/library, you can access them at home and at the school locations. The library has licences for both multidisciplinary databases and databases specific to a discipline.
These are some examples of multidisciplinary databases containing, for example, academic articles:
In addition to multidisciplinary databases, there are also databases with academic information specific to a discipline. In databases you will find factual, current and background information. Please check "Information sources per study programme" at Rotterdamuas.com/library for an overview of relevant databases for your study programme.
2.4.1 Digital repositories
Digital repositories
Many (educational) institutions make open access (academic) information available via "digital repositories":
HBO Kennisbank provides access to graduation products (theses) of students from universities of applied sciences. You will also find the publications of professors.
OpenAIRE (formerly NARCIS) is a Dutch database for ongoing and completed academic research of all Dutch universities, KNAW and NWO. (Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences and Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research)
The library provides access to many national and international newspapers and journals.
Nexis Uni can be used to search through Dutch newspapers.
PressReader gives you access to newspapers and magazines from many different countries.
MDinfo gives you access to summaries of news and trade journals in the Netherlands.
For more news sources visit Information Sources at rotterdamuas.com/library. Apply a filter to the type of information that you are looking for: News. You can also visit the library and browse the journals and newspapers we have in our collection. (NOTE: the latter is currently not possible due to Covid-19 measures)
2.4.3 Trend reports and market reports
Trend reports and market reports
Stylus and Trendwatching give you access to the most important global trends. Here you will find trend reports that provide insights into new trends and innovations in areas such as lifestyle, consumer trends and product development.
Euromonitor Passport provides access to statistical data and detailed market reports on 27 industries, complemented by demographic, macro and socio-economic data and in-depth analyses of consumer behaviour and the economy in 210 countries.
Company.info offers trend and market reports focused on the Netherlands. Click on "More" in the database and select market reports.
EMIS Professional is a database focused on companies and emerging markets, in this database you will find company information and market reports.
Marketline is a database that offers reports and statistics on companies, countries, and markets.
CBS collects all figures (statistical data) about the Netherlands. On the CBS website you can find reports and the database Statline provides figures with which you can create your own charts and tables.
For more sources for trendresearch or market information visit Information Sources at rotterdamuas.com/library. Apply a filter to the type of information that you are looking for: Market information, Statistical information or News.
2.4.4 Books and e-books
Books Use START, the library search system, to find out about the book collection at our locations. You can also make reservations and view the book(s) that you have borrowed.
E-books Many books are also available as e-book; for instance mandatory books that are on your literature list. The availability and accessibility, however, depends on the publisher. It is also easy to find e- books via START.
Tip! In START search for the title and select either 'eBook' or 'printed book'.
2.4.5 Other subjects and types of information
Other subjects and/or types of information
Looking for statistics, case law, or business information?
You can get a quick overview of these in the following way:
Use the filters to limit the overview to a certain theme or type of information
In addition, there’s an overview of databases and websites that are relevant to your study programme, under Information sources per study programme on rotterdamuas.com/library.
Databases that are important for your subject area
The digital version of mandatory and/or recommended literature (e-books)
Websites of important organisations for your subject area. On these pages you will often find research reports as well.
Websites with good, reliable information about your subject area
2.6 General search engines
Image: Duck Duck Go, Inc.
An enormous amount of information is offered worldwide via the internet. Search engines make sure that you can find the information in different ways.
There are many search engines, of which Google is the best known and most used. Other well-known search engines are Yahoo and Bing, less well known are Startpage.com and DuckDuckGo (privacy-oriented search engines) or Ecosia (sustainable search engine). Each search engine has its own way of searching. So, you will see differences in their hits; when you compare them, the results generated are in a different order. That is why it is smart to try different search engines.
A search engine is not a database. A search engine is a website on which you can search for other websites, while a database is a digital collection of data. If you want to know more about the differences between search engines and databases, take a look at this video.
PLEASE NOTE:Virtually anyone can publish information on the Internet, with no factchecking editorial staff. You will therefore have to assess the reliability of internet sources yourself. See module 4 for an overview of assessment criteria.
2.7 Google Scholar
Google Scholaris a search engine for academic articles. In terms of appearance it resembles the regular Google, but Scholar is limited to searching academic literature. The advantage of Google Scholar is that it offers a simple way of searching for academic literature because databases of different publishers are included in the search engine.
Search results
At Google Scholar the search results are ranked by relevance. Scholar determines this relevance by searching the full text of each article. This takes into account the author, the publication in which the article is published and how often the article has been cited in academic literature.
(No) access?
Not all publications you find on Google Scholar can be accessed. Sometimes you must pay to read an article, or you can only find a description of the content. If you first log in to the RUAS environment and then start Google Scholar, you can view more publications. If the article is present in one of the databases of the library, you will see the link Find@Hogeschool Rotterdam on the right side of your results list. Click this link to go directly to the article.
Tips:
A lot of information can be found on Google Scholar, but you cannot use it to track down all types of information. Statistics, company data and images can often only be found through special sites.
A direct search in a database often produces more relevant results. So, don't limit yourself to Scholar as your only source.
There are special links under every search result in Scholar: Cited by, Related articles, et cetera. Use this link to find more relevant articles.
Google Scholar offers the possibility to copy or export the literature reference of an article. However, there may be errors in these references. For more reliable literature references it is better to use the export possibilities of the source (database) itself.
You have gained more insight into what information sources there are.
You can distinguish between different types of information.
You can distinguish between search engines and databases.
You know where to find different kinds of information sources.
3. Search methods and search techniques
You may know where to look, but you are not yet done. Because you will still get a whole heap of useless information. In this third section Search methods and search techniques you will discover different ways to search smarter.
3.1 Search methods, such as the pearl-growing method, building blocks method and the snowball methodology
3.2 Search techniques, such as Boolean operators, truncation, choosing search fields
3.1 Search methods
What does a search method involve?
A search method ensures that you can find the information you need to answer your research question in an efficient and effective way. Which search method you can best use, depends about your research and on the type of text it should produce (for example, an article, essay or thesis). In many cases you will use a combination of methods.
In this section we will explain different search methods so that you know which search method or combination of search methods you can best use.
3.1.1 Pearl-growing
You can use pearl-growing if you are still in the orientation phase and do not know exactly with which (key) words you can search. Do a search and see if there are better search terms in your search results. Then search further with the newly found terms.
Example
You start with a search in START and see if the results contain good, useful terms or keywords. In the picture below you see all kinds of terms under 'subjects' with which you can continue your search. All you have to do is click on them.
3.1.2 Snowball method-Citation method
Snowball method
For many publications you will find a list of literature (or bibliography) at the back. Here the author lists the literature used. You can use this literature list to find more related and interesting sources. A disadvantage of this method may be that it does not allow you to find recent information.
Citation method
The quotation method works exactly the other way around. If you have found a relevant article you can see which other sources refer to this article. In this way you will find more up-to-date literature on the subject.
In the example below you can see 'Cited by' in a Google Scholar search. When you click on it, you will find (newer) articles by authors who have used the article (also useful: the option 'Related articles' for finding articles on the same subject).
Summary:
The snowball method is a backward reference search (searching in the past) and the citation method is a forward reference search.
3.1.3 Building blocks method
When you start searching you might type in some search terms to see what information you can find. If you use suitable search terms, this will often yield pretty good results. You can find even more useful sources by searching systematically. One way of searching systematically is the building blocks method. The building blocks method is a way to combine multiple search terms in one search.
With the building blocks method, you divide your search into different aspects. For each aspect of your question you collect search terms. Combine search terms from all aspects into one search string.
How you can best combine the search terms into one search string can differ per search system. The help-function of a search system often explains how you can best search in it. There are search systems that automatically combine your search terms. Sometimes you have multiple search bars to fill in search terms and sometimes you must put all keywords in one search bar. In the latter case, it is wise to use Boolean operators (see 3.2.1 Search technique for more information).
AND is used to combine different subjects
OR is used to combine all synonyms, translations, or abbreviations of one subject. When you use OR between the synonyms, then the search includes them all. At least one of these words must be included in the search result.
Example
Aspect
Search terms
Overweight
overweight, obesity, healthy weight
Canteen (HBO)
school cafeteria, canteen, schools, higher education schools, caterer, students
Measures
measures, prevention, policy, guidelines, choice of foods, selection of foods
You have collected the above search terms because you are looking for literature on 'measures that school canteens take against obesity'. If you only search for obesity, there is a good chance that you will get a lot of search results, most of which are irrelevant. If you add search terms for the other aspects, you are already looking more specifically. For example; obesity, policy, school canteens. You will have fewer results but what you find is more relevant. This can be done even better by combining more of your search terms with Boolean operators. Use OR to combine search terms within one aspect and put AND between different aspects.
(overweight OR obesity) AND (school cafetaria OR canteens OR schools) AND (measures OR prevention OR policy OR guidelines)
With the above search string, one of the words from every aspect must be included in the search result. So, you could find an article that contains these: obesity + canteens + prevention. Build up such an extensive search string by testing which search terms work well. You can do that by always adding or omitting words. Continue until you have the right search results.
In the next section you can read more about how search techniques, such as Boolean operators, work and which tips and tricks you can apply.
3.2 Search techniques
How should I combine search terms?
It is NOT sufficient to type all possible search terms haphazardly. To find specific and targeted information about your subject, you need to combine search terms with each other. There are different techniques to do this:
Boolean operators
Truncation
Exact word combination
Choose search fields
3.2.1 Boolean operators
Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT)
AND
AND means that all words must appear in the search result
You use the AND relationship to link two (or more) different subjects.
The search result is limited, smaller than the one-word search.
For example: you are looking for information about the relationship between obesity and nutrition in canteens. Search terms and relation: obesity AND canteens
OR
OR means that at least one of the words appears in the search result
the OR relation is used for (almost) synonyms, plural/singular, different spellings
The search result is increased, extended compared to the one-word search
Example: in addition to canteens, you also want to search school canteens. Search terms and relationship: canteens OR school canteens
NOT
You can use the NOT relationship to exclude a certain word/subject
The search result is narrowed down
Example: you want information about canteens in schools, but not about canteens in primary schools. Search terms and relationship: schools NOT primary schools
Tips!
Type AND/OR/NOT with capital letters
Sometimes you can also use Boolean operators in Dutch, then it is: EN/OF/NIET
If you combine several Boolean operators, put the OR terms between brackets. Example: (canteens OR school canteens) AND obesity. If you do not use brackets here, the AND command only works for school canteens AND obesity
If you put your search terms in parentheses or quotes, these terms get high priority in the search.
3.2.2 Truncation
By truncating you can search for several variations of a term. This is handy when, for instance, a word has several different spellings. You truncate by replacing 1 or more characters of a word with a truncation character. Often the truncation character is a *. Other possible characters are a ?, $ or !. The manual of the database in which you are searching will indicate which character is used for this purpose.
Typing a truncation character behind (part of) a word:
This way you'll search for what you have typed and everything that follows after it.
Example: pig*renders:pig, pigs, piggy, pigfarm, pigfood, etc.
Typing a truncation mark before (part of) a word:
This way you look up what you typed and everything that can be in front of that word.
Example: *rosesrenders:roses, green house roses, red roses, etc.
When you're searching for a specific word that can be spelled several ways a ? can help you out. This will replace a single character.
Example: Behavio?r renders behavior or behaviour. Organi?ation renders organisation and organization.
Tips!
The trick is not to truncate into a word too soon or too late.
For example, if you're looking for information about "pollution", type pollut* and not poll*.
In Google truncation works differently, there a * replaces a whole word.
Example: Google * my life produces among other things. Google ruined my life and Google is my life.
3.2.3 Exact word combination
If you only want to find search results in which your entered search terms appear in exactly the same order, put these search terms in double quotes.
This is useful for terms that consist of more than one word, such as"European guidelines"If you do not put this term in quotation marks, you will also find search results that deal with a different subject and where the wordsEuropean and guidelines appear somewhere in the text. More examples: "healthy weight", "food safety", "climate change", "job satisfaction", "heart failure".
Tip! An exact word combination is a strict version of the Boolean AND operator. The search terms must be next to each other. Another difference is that the order of the search terms is not random but is determined by you.
3.2.4 Advanced search
Most search engines and databases have the option 'advanced search'. More search settings can be found here. You can indicate that you only want to search in the search field 'title', in the field 'search word' or only within a specific period. A search with Boolean operators can also be set up in 'advanced search', as in the example below.
3.2.5 Subject index/Thesaurus
If you use good search terms, you are more likely to find relevant information. Most databases use a specific keyword for a subject. If you know which keyword it is, you can easily find all the information linked to it in the database
What is a subject index?
A subject index is a list of terms and definitions from a certain subject area (for example, Healthcare). Other names you may come across for this purpose are: Thesaurus, MeSH-terms, subject headings, or subject terms. There are databases where you can search through such a list of keywords. For example, PubMed and the databases of EBSCO (such as Academic Search Complete and ERIC). A keyword will look like this in the database Academic Search Complete:
Image: adapted from Academic Search Complete
Broader, narrower, related
If you find a term in the hit list, it also has 'relations'. Relations are other keywords related to the subject and are broader terms, narrower terms, or related terms. For example, For 'Sleep''subcounsciousness'is a broader term, a narrower term is 'naps' and related to sleep is 'dreams' (see the image above). In this way you will find new angles and keywords to search for information in a more specific or broader way.
Give it a try!
1. Go to EBSCOhost Portal, choose Multidisciplinary and click on 'Continue'.
Next click on Subject Terms in the top bar.
2. Enter a term.
3. You will get a list with search terms. Check one of the terms and then click on 'Add'.
You can add and combine different terms here with AND or OR.
If you are looking for more information about a term, click on it; you will get the description and relations
4. Start search process:
3.2.6 How can I increase or decrease search results?
No one is willing to assess the relevance of hundreds or thousands of search results. It is better to search in such a way that you get a maximum of a few dozen search results, without throwing relevant search results overboard.
What you can do when you have too many search results
Use more or different search terms
Don't just use Google
Define your search results with the option 'Advanced search'
For example, search within title
Limiting search boundaries can also be done afterwards, it is called filtering. (Filter for example by period)
Combine important search terms with the Boolean AND operator
Be critical of the use of the OR operator
Use truncation as late as possible in a word; trunca*
It is frustrating not getting search results. Of course, it is possible that the database in question does indeed not have any relevant information on your subject.
What you can do when you have too few, or no search results at all
Combine synonyms and translations with the Boolean OR operator
Use fewer or different search terms
Search wider
Try other sources
Snowball methodology: view the literature list of a relevant source to find more sources
n
3.2.7 Ten tips to Google smarter
In this section you have already been introduced to many search techniques that allow you to search smarter. In Google as well, there are ways to find what you are looking for faster. Sometimes this works the same as in databases, but there are also search tips specific to Google. With these 10 tips Google will make you smarter:
Tip 1. Exact word phrase
Useful if you search with compound search terms (for example "Social History") and phrases (for example, "cycling in Limburg"). This way you only search the word combination, not one single word. So, with "internet of things" you do not look for webpages with only "internet" or only "things" mentioned.
Tip 2. OR
Put your OR (use uppercase letters) between search terms and do multiple searches at the same time. If you search maple OR ahorn, you will find results containing maple or ahorn. This way you search wider and the odds of you missing information is smaller. .
Tip 3.Exclude
If you put a minus before a word in Google then this word will not appear in your search results.
Tip 4. Reach
With .. you search for all the numbers in the number range. For example 2015..2019 Dutch elections will therefore also yield results for the Dutch general elections in 2017.
Tip 5. Site:
If you are using site, you will only search within that website. For example, above you will find search results within the website thecorrespondent.com about Rotterdam.
Tip 6. Filetype:
The example above only provides Google search results of documents in pdf format about e-health. With this command you can of course also search for other types of files such as jpg or docx.
Tip 7. Related:
The example above provides websites that, just like usa.gov/statistics, contain statistical information about the United States.
Tip 8. @
Search social media by placing an @ in front of a word. The example above provides results of tweets containing the words 'school canteens health'.
Tip 9. Combining
Of course, you can also combine the above tips in your search.
Tip 10. Advanced search
You can also use ‘advanced search’. Google even has a very extensive menu where you can find even more tips on how to Google smarter. You can find the advanced menu under Settings.
Test your knowledge – search methods and search technique
You have learned what you can do when you find too much or too little information.
You have learned search methods that help you search more efficiently and effectively.
You have learned search techniques that allow you to find more specific and targeted information
4. Evaluate
What have I found and what can I use? After you have searched for and found information, it is important to critically examine whether the information is relevant, reliable, current, and complete.
In general, the sources you encounter in the library are reliable. In addition, many of these sources are the product of organisations (for example, educational publishers) that want to be reliable and try to provide the best possible product by expert editing. Nevertheless, here too, the information can be influenced by the fact that the creators think from a certain academic perspective, a philosophy of life, a commercial point of view, and so on. So always use different sources and compare them with each other.
In this section ‘Evaluating sources’ we will deal with the following:
Relevance
Reliability
Currency
Completeness
4.1 Relevance
Relevance
Information is relevant if it allows you to answer your research question.
Ask yourself the following questions:
Does the information answer your research question?
Does the information present a global view? Or does it address exceptions or specific areas?
Does the quality and level of the information meet your needs?
What is the context of the information? Is it comparable or does it deviate from your own situation
4.2 Reliability
Reliability
Information is reliable if you can trust it to be correct.
Credibility and objectivity are important here. Ask yourself the following questions to assess whether information is reliable:
What is the source of the information? Is it a book, magazine, database, website? What can you say about the reliability of that source? For websites, also pay attention to the domain name and the extension (.com=commercial, .org=organisation, .edu=educational institution et cetera)
Who is/are the author(s)? Are they experts? Is there an editor? Does the author work for an organisation, company or institution?
What is the purpose of the publication (to inform, convince, entertain, promote, sell)? Is there a client or sponsor?
If in doubt, search the internet for information about the author, organisation or publisher.
4.3 Currency
Currency
Information is up to date if it corresponds to the current situation. Some data does not change and other data changes very quickly, for example, food prices on the world market. Whether the information is up to date depends on your research question and the information objective.Ask yourself the following questions:
When was it published? Note: some websites have the date of a page updated automatically. The information may not be up to date in that case.
Is the information still valid? Is the content obsolete?
Is the information still correct? Does it correspond to other sources?
4.4 Completeness
Completeness
Information is complete when you have considered all possible angles. Completeness is often not possible, but you can check that you have not overlooked relevant information. Ask yourself the following questions to assess whether the information is complete.
Have different angles been considered?
Is reference made to sources and/or is there a literature list?
Are relevant sources of information missing?
4.5 Working with academic information
Section 2.2 Types of Information explains what academic information means.
Even with academic information, it is important to take a critical look at whether the information is relevant, reliable, up to date, and complete.
Below you will find tips that you should pay specific attention to when working with academic information.
Reading order
Do not immediately read an academic article from beginning to end. Follow the sequence below to get a quicker understanding of its relevance to your research.
Abstract (summary)
Introduction
Discussion/Conclusion
Results
Methods
Relevancy
Ask yourself the following questions to determine whether the information is relevant to your research:
What is this article about?
What are the main questions?
Why is this article important?
What does this article contribute to your study of this subject?
Currency
Assess whether the information is sufficiently up to date. TIP: Also check if the author(s) have published more recent articles on this subject.
Reliability
To assess the degree of reliability, you should first know the following:
Is the information peer-reviewed?
What is the authority of the authors?
Where is the information published and what is the status of this source?
Is it clear what the interests of the authors are?
How was the research data collected?
Is reference made to sources and/or is there a literature list?
You have now been given a global overview of the source. If it still seems useful, dive deeper into the information. For example, you can read the paragraphs about the research method. Of course, you will also delve into the research results. Ask yourself three things when reading the article in more depth:
To what extent does the information in this article help you to formulate an answer to your research question(s)?
Does the information in this article contribute to your theoretical framework and is it valuable for your research? In other words, is it an enrichment of the theory you have already found? Does the content of this article perhaps trigger a dialogue or discussion?
Pay attention to the literature references. Do the authors use literature that, in view of your own research, is also worth reading? Use this source(s) for your research.
Test your knowledge - evaluate
Oefening: Test your knowledge about evaluating sources
0%
Are the following statements correct or incorrect?
You know what to pay attention to when assessing the relevance of information
You know what to pay attention to when assessing the reliability of sources
You know what the criteria are for assessing the reliability of internet sources
5. Processing and referencing
If you are conducting research, for example for an article or thesis, you are making use of existing literature and other information resources. This includes a correct source listing. If you do not mention sources that you have used, or mention them incorrectly, then you are committing plagiarism. This has consequences,
for the approval of your work, among other things. In this section you will learn how to prevent plagiarism.
We will deal with the following:
5.1.Why do I need to refer to my information resources?
5.2.Definition of plagiarism
5.3 How to prevent plagiarism?
5.4 Citation styles
5.5 Rules for source referencing
5.6 Tools: EndNote and RefWorks
5.7 Copyright Information Point
5.1 Why do I have to reference sources?
[Video: Refering to sources, how, what, and why?]
5.2 How do I prevent plagiarism?
Van Dale dictionary defines plagiarism as follows: “Copying someone else's work and passing it off as their own”
If you copy something from someone else's work without mentioning the source, you create the impression that it is your own creation. By including a source reference, you make it clear where information comes from, what is yours and what is someone else’s. It does not matter whether the material is printed or digital, is a text or an image, software or video. If the maker has made creative choices, and the work has its own original character, it is automatically copyrighted.
When do you have to specify a source?
Plagiarism by students happens unconsciously in most cases but can have unpleasant consequences. For example, the rejection of your thesis. You can prevent plagiarism by mentioning the source when you:
Copy a quote from someone
Use Ideas, opinions, or theories of someone
Use information, such as statistics or graphs, that contains data collected by someone else
Use Information such as drawings, photographs, or sound fragments
When do you not need to specify a source?
When it is a fact or common knowledge. "Napoleon Bonaparte died on Saint Helena", is not original and therefore not protected by copyright. That is why mentioning the source is not necessary here.
It is an idea that only exists in someone's head. Something must be 'perceptible to the senses' to be protected by copyright.
You create something inspired by someone else's style. A style is not protected. You may paint in the style of Vincent van Gogh or make music inspired by Lady Gaga. However, it must be your own creation, copying or imitating something without permission is not allowed.
5.3 What is citing or paraphrasing?
Cite or paraphrase when you incorporate a text or theory into your own work.
Citing: literally copying someone's words. You only do this when the literal text is essential for the substantiation of your argument.
Paraphrasing: displaying someone else's text in their own words. Do not just change a few words, but make sure you formulate the message you want to convey in your own words. Paraphrasing is preferable to quoting because you weave your own opinion into the text. It becomes your own creation.
Whether you paraphrase or cite, source reference is mandatory. Refer to the original source of a quote or paraphrase both in your text and in the literature list.
5.4 Citation styles
A citation style is a set of rules for how to create a source reference. No matter how you refer to sources, do it consistently and according to a single quotation style. There are many different styles of citing, at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, APA is the most used one. Other styles used are: IEEE, MLA, Harvard and Guidelines for Legal Authors.
Which citation style?
Which citation style you use depends on your subject area. Not sure which rules apply to your source reference? Ask your lecturer for advice, he or she will be aware of the rules that apply within your study programme.
Guidelines
Each style has its own specific rules.
5.5 Rules for referencing sources
No matter what style of quotation you use, there are a few rules you should always keep in mind.
Place References in two places: your text and in the literature list
In your text you consistently refer to the source you have used. This ensures that it is clear when you are using external sources and which ones they are. Do you use the same source in different places in your text? Mention the source in all these places.
What a reference in the text looks like varies per style of quotation. These are the differences you will encounter:
In-text citation styles; in this case, the source is placed between brackets in the current text, such as (Hogeschool Rotterdam, 2019). APA is an example of an in-text quoting style.
Numeric reference styles: in this case, ascending numbers in your text refer to the sources used, such as [2]. IEEE is an example of a numerical quotation style.
Footnotes: for some reference styles, sources are listed in a footnote at the bottom of the page. For other styles (for example, APA), you may not use the footnote for referencing, but you may use it to give more explanation about a source.
Example: APA quoting style. A reference in the text for a source with 3 authors: (Schmidt, Deelder, & Erasmus, 2018). If you mention this source again, do it like this: (Schmidt et al., 2018)
On your literature list you must include the full source listing of all the sources you have used.
Different types of material, different rules
What your source reference looks like in the literature list differs per type of reference material. Keep in mind that a source reference for a book may therefore look slightly different from that for a video, image, or article. The number of authors of a source can also make a difference in how your reference should look. You can read what these differences are in the manual of your quotation style.
5.6 Tools: EndNote and RefWorks
Bibliographical software
When you write a research assignment or thesis, you collect a lot of information. You can use bibliographic software to keep it organised and to make automatic references.
There are free online tools that generate references that you can copy. With the more advanced programmes you can collect, store, share and organise literature references and PDF documents. In this way you keep your own bibliographic database of references. In addition, these programmes usually offer a plug-in that allows you to insert literature lists and text references in Word. Word also has its own built-in reference function. This offers less possibilities than bibliographic software. Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences has a license for the program EndNote and offers access to RefWorks.
EndNote
EndNote is bibliographic software that allows you to automatically create references and literature lists in a quotation style of your choice. With the programme you keep an overview of your collected information. EndNote supports over 500 styles, including APA and MLA. Students and employees of Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences can install EndNote for free via Liquit.
Refworks
RefWorks is, just like EndNote, a tool for source referencing. You can use it to create literature lists and a quotation style of your choice. With RefWorks you can easily collect and manage your source references online.
No installation necessary: only an optional add-on for your browser and text editor (word processing programme). The difference with EndNote is that RefWorks is cloud-based. So, you do not have synchronization problems when working on different computers. It is also easier to use.
For access to EndNote or RefWorks and more information, visit the library website under Tools.
5.7 Copyright Information Point
Almost everyone must deal with copyright: when (re)using teaching materials, presentations, publications, or writing an essay. What exactly does this copyright mean? What are you allowed to do and what are you not allowed to do?
You can find more information on the website of the Copyright Information Point (CIP). The CIP supports education and research in everything that has to do with copyright. Students, lecturers, researchers, and other employees of Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences can also ask any questions about copyright they may have.
You know what plagiarism is and how to prevent it.
You know what paraphrasing and citating is.
You know what a citation style is.
You know (roughly) what to consider when listing sources.
You know what bibliographic software is and what is available within RUAS.
Information for lecturers
Require the test and let students earn an edubadge!
Students can take a digital test in class to earn an edubadge. This test can only be organised in consultation with the library. Please contact infova@hr.nl. For more information see our website.
Advice for assessing information skills
This training can be completed independently by students. The training includes exercises to test knowledge. At the end, students can do the Knowledge Test Information Skills. .
To promote the skills and to test information skills, it is recommended that students do a writing assignment in addition to this module, which is linked to their own lesson content and/or expertise.
For this assessment you can use Jos van Helvoort's Scoring rubric information skills.
An example of a writing assignment literature research can be found on pages 109-112 of Tools voor taal: Rotterdamse schrijfvaardigheid (Nederlandstalig).Tip: have students add their search strategy as an attachment (refer to Search Strategy Form).
Het arrangement Rotterdam UAS Literature Research Training is gemaakt met
Wikiwijs van
Kennisnet. Wikiwijs is hét onderwijsplatform waar je leermiddelen zoekt,
maakt en deelt.
Dit lesmateriaal is gepubliceerd onder de Creative Commons Naamsvermelding 4.0 Internationale licentie. Dit houdt in dat je onder de voorwaarde van naamsvermelding vrij bent om:
het werk te delen - te kopiëren, te verspreiden en door te geven via elk medium of bestandsformaat
het werk te bewerken - te remixen, te veranderen en afgeleide werken te maken
voor alle doeleinden, inclusief commerciële doeleinden.
Van dit lesmateriaal is de volgende aanvullende informatie beschikbaar:
Toelichting
There are more than a billion websites and more than 800,000 books are published each year. But where exactly can you find the information you need? In this training you will learn how to find reliable information relevant to your studies in a smart and fast way.
Leerniveau
HBO - Master;
HBO - Bachelor;
Eindgebruiker
leerling/student
Moeilijkheidsgraad
gemiddeld
Trefwoorden
information literacy, orientate, quotation of sources, search methods, search techniques
Gebruikte Wikiwijs Arrangementen
Team Informatievaardigheid Hogeschool Rotterdam.
(2022).
There are more than a billion websites and more than 800,000 books are published each year. But where exactly can you find the information you need? In this training you will learn how to find reliable information relevant to your studies in a smart and fast way.
That is why you split a main question into sub-questions. Each sub-question contributes to answering your main question. If you have answered all sub-questions in your research, it should provide the answer to your main question as well.
also make reservations and view the book(s) that you have borrowed.
By truncating you can search for several variations of a term. This is handy when, for instance, a word has several different spellings. You truncate by replacing 1 or more characters of a word with a truncation character. Often the truncation character is a *. Other possible characters are a ?, $ or !. The manual of the database in which you are searching will indicate which character is used for this purpose.
If you only want to find search results in which your entered search terms appear in exactly the same order, put these search terms in double quotes. 
in the library are reliable. In addition, many of these sources are the product of organisations (for example, educational publishers) that want to be reliable and try to provide the best possible product by expert editing. Nevertheless, here too, the information can be influenced by the fact that the creators think from a certain academic perspective, a philosophy of life, a commercial point of view, and so on. So always use different sources and compare them with each other.
A citation style is a set of rules for how to create a source reference. No matter how you refer to sources, do it consistently and according to a single quotation style. There are many different styles of citing, at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, APA is the most used one. Other styles used are: IEEE, MLA, Harvard and Guidelines for Legal Authors.
