Rotterdam UAS Literature Research Training

Rotterdam UAS Literature Research Training

Introduction


Bron: E. Langhorst, Hogeschool Rotterdam

There are over a billion websites and every year nearly a million books are published. But where exactly can you find the information you need? In this training course you will learn how to find reliable information relevant to your studies in a smart and efficient way.

Train your information literacy skills

The skills you need to search for, find, assess, and process information are called information literacy skills. In higher education information literacy skills are one of the competencies you need to develop as a student. They are an important part of the research skills. This training course focuses on improving your information literacy skills. The training course is intended for university of applied science students and no specific prior knowledge is required.​

You will learn:

  • What type of information sources there are.
  • How to formulate a good research question.
  • How to formulate and use the right search terms.
  • How to use relevant information sources.
  • How to assess the quality of information. 
  • How to correctly refer to the information you have found when making an assignment. 

 

How it works:

The training consists of 5 modules. Each module contains explanations, quizzes, and occasionally 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:

At the end of this training course you can request an edubadge test to see whether you have understood everything. If you pass the test, you can request a digital badge, an edubadge.

Before you get started

Before you start your literature research, you need to carefully consider two things:

  1. What issue do you want to investigate? This is also referred to as the problem definition. To do this, you need to map out the various aspects that you want to investigate.
  2. What is the purpose of your research? This is also referred to as the 'objective'.

There are different possible objectives, for example: You want to gain insight into a particular problem. You want to (help) solve a problem through your research. You want to inform others.

Example:

Marco is a manager at a company that delivers laptops to people's homes. Many customers return their products, which generates a lot of waste. Nobody wants to buy the returned laptops, even though they are in perfect working order. This costs the company a lot of money (problem). That is the problem definition.

Marco asks you, as a student at a university of applied sciences, to design an effective marketing strategy that will encourage customers to buy the remaining laptops, generating more revenue for the company and producing less waste (purpose). Designing this effective marketing strategy is referred to as the objective.

The research question is a tool that aids you in gaining insight into the problem that needs to be researched and helps you achieve your objective. This is discussed in more detail in the Orientation chapter.

1. Orientation

What are you looking for?Beeld: Evalien Langhorst, Hogeschool Rotterdam

A good start is half the work. This also applies when you are looking for literature for your study assignment, research or dissertation.

This section covers the following:

    1.1 The orientational phase

    1.2 The exploratory search phase

    1.3 Defining your research topic

    1.4 Formulating your main research question

    1.5 Formulating your sub-questions

    1.6 Collecting search terms

 

 

1.1 The orientational phase

Once you have chosen a subject, you should start by exploring it before you start searching for information, especially if the topic is new to you. This will give you a better understanding of your topic. During your orientation you will often find references to important literature regarding your topic.

Mind map
Making a mind map can be a good starting point for your orientation. You can also gain new insights by simply talking about your topic with fellow students, lecturers or internship supervisors.

Tips for creating a mind map:Beeld Hogeschool Rotterdam, Evalien Langhorst

  • Making a mind map on paper helps to give free reign to your creativity, more so than when you create a mind map digitally.
  • Place the topic in the centre of your sheet.
  • Start with general associations and then work these out in more detail with sub-topics.
  • Write down everything that comes to mind. Even something that doesn't seem useful now may prove to be very valuable later. By including all of this in a mind map, you put a subject into perspective. This gives you an overview of all the topics you may come across.
  • Connect related subjects with lines.
  • Always use one word per connecting line, not whole sentences.

Example: obesity among adolescents

Imagine you have been assigned a task to conduct research into obesity among adolescents.

What could you investigate?

What are the angles or aspects that make up the topic?

Below is an an example of a mind map. The topic is shown in the red circle. The light red ovals show the topics that are broadly related to the topic. The light red diamonds show the subtopics that arise from these topics. You can continue to develop the mind map from there with everything that comes to mind about the topic.

The mind map in this example is far from complete. Much more could be added. Consider, for example:

Weight loss, diets, fat shaming, depression, environmental factors, socio-economic factors, income, influencers, biological factors, sleep patterns, heredity, hormones, cortisol, joint problems, chronic diseases, medication, exercise, everyday physical activity, the Nutriction Centre, the Department of Health . . . etc.

1.2 Exploratory search phase

By creating a mind map, you have gained a better understanding of the topic. You will now conduct a broad search for information to learn even more. What do experts say about your topic? What trends are applicable? What has been written about it in the literature? It may be helpful to formulate a preliminary main research question. Such a question will give more direction to your search process and can help you to make choices.

Use these exploratory searches to collect your search terms by writing down the terms you have encountered in the various sources.

Tip:

  • The topics you have put into your mind map can also be used as search terms!


The following sources may be useful during your orientation phase:


The internetBeeld: E. Langhorst, Hogeschool Rotterdam
Of course you are familiar with Google. However, there are other search engines you can use: such as Bing, Ecosia and DuckDuckGo. There are differences between search engines in terms of results and how your privacy is handled.

Wikipedia
Wikipedia often provides reliable information, but anyone can post or edit articles. Always check the information you find and use this source primarily for orientation. The list of sources for an article can also aid you further.

Subject specialist/lecturer/internship supervisor
Seek advice from people in your future field, such as your lecturer. Ask for names of leading professionals or titles of professional literature and then do your own research.

Professional literature
These are leading publications ain a particular field, such as manuals and trade journals. You can find these in the librarycatalogue. Are there important publications missing? Send us a purchase suggestion.

Magazines and newspapers ​
Newspapers and magazines provide insight into current topics and trends.

  • PressReader provides access to hundreds of newspapers and magazines from different countries.
  • Systematic reviews analyse and summarise relevant literature on a topic. In Science Direct you can, filter for 'review articles'.
  • Check Information Sources per Study Programme to see which online journals are available for your study programme.
  • Visit the library to leaf through trade journals that are relevant to your studies.


During the exploratory search phase, you will get a clearer picture of your topic and what information about it is available. You may have discovered that there is either too much or too little information available. The next part of the training will give you tips on how to further narrow down your topic.

1.3 Define your topic

Defining your topic is very important, because it gives direction to your research. It also prevents you from straying away from what you actually want to research while searching for information.

Defining your topic

  • What are the boundaries of your topic, what will you and what won't you explore further?
  • Who are the important parties involved, target group(s) or stakeholders within your research topic?
  • In which places is your topic relevant?
  • Is there a specific (time) period that is relevant to your research topic?
  • In which languages has your topic been written about?
  • What does your teacher think about the topic?

Once you have sufficiently defined your topic, you can formulate a main research question. In the next section, you will learn how to formulate good main and sub-research questions.

Defining your topic: example

In this example, we show you how to define a research topic:

  • Subject (what, where and when):

Obesity in the Netherlands in the 21st century.

  • This research topic is still too broad. Choose a subtopic and make the time period more specific:

The influence of food availability on obesity over the past 10 years.

  • It can be even more specific in terms of topic and location:

The influence of food availability in Dutch school canteens on obesity over the past 10 years.

  • A final specification of the research topic ultimately yields the following question:

What is the influence of food availability in Dutch school canteens on obesity among university of applied sciences students over the past 10 years?

 

1.4 Formulate your main research question

Do you have a clear picture of your topic? The you can formulate a main research question. Your main research 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 carefully.

  • Your main research question must be straightforward, using clear terms.Beeld: Evalien Langhorst, Hogeschool Rotterdam
  • Your main research question must be specific in order to enable a targeted search.
  • Your main research question must be relevant in order to contribute to your research.
  • Your main research question must be formulated in an open manner, i.e. it must not be question that can only be answered with "yes" or "no".
  • Your main research question must be realistic; you must be able to find the answer within an acceptable time frame and with the resources available to you. At the same time, the question must also be 'worthy of research'; the answer must add something to your field of research.
  • Your main research question does not have to be perfect right away; you can always adjust it slightly during your research.

Tips:

  • If you start a question with 'what', 'how' or 'which' you automatically have an open question. It is best not to start the question with 'why', why-questions are often not specific enough.
  • Enter your main question in the Search strategy form for deskresearch. This allows you to keep track of what you are looking for and what you have already found.

Main research question: example

Below are two examples of research questions:

"Can obesity be prevented by offering healthy food in canteens?"

This is not a good research question, because:

  • It is a closed question; the question can be answered with 'yes' or 'no'.
  • It is not specific; the topic, time period or area of research are not clearly indicated (What? When? Where?)
  • It is not clear; the question can be interpreted in several ways.
  • It is not realistic; the question is too general and therefore difficult to research and answer.

"What is the influence of the food on offer in school canteens on obesity among Dutch university of applied sciences students over the past years?"

This is a better research question, because it is open, specific and clearly defined.

 

1.5 Formulate sub-questions

What information do you need to answer your main research question?
The main research question cannot be answered in one go. Beeld: Evalien Langhorst, Hogeschool RotterdamThat is why you formulate a number of sub-questions based on your main research question. Sub-questions allow you to divide your complex main research question into smaller subjects. Each sub-question contributes to answering your main research question. Once you have answered all the sub-questions, it should be possible to answer your main research question as well.

  • Your sub-questions have to meet the same requirements as the main research question.
  • Your sub-questions are derived from your main research question - sub-questions help to answer your main research question.
  • Sub-questions are less complex, but more specific than the main research question.
  • How many sub-questions you need depends on the complexity of your research is.
  • Place sub-questions in a logical order; this helps to structure and formulate your research. They create clarity for you as a researcher, but also for the reader who will read your research report later.
  • A sub-question is not a question for a definition.

Tip:

Sub-questions: example

Below are a number of examples of sub-questions:

"What is the definition of obesity?"

This is not a good sub-question, because sub-questions are not about formulating definitions. The sub-question must always be necessary to answer your main research question.

"Does food supply have an effect on obesity?"

This is not a good sub-question, because it is a closed question. Sub-questions must be formulated in an open manner, so they cannot be answered with a simple 'yes' or 'no'.

"What measures are being taken in school canteens to combat obesity among students?"

"What influences students' food choices?"

These are good sub-questions, because they are less complex than the main research question, but more specific and help to answer the main research question.

1.6 Collect search terms

Bron: HR, E, Langhorst

You are now ready to start collecting search terms. Extract the most important topics from your sub-questions and use them as search terms. Collecting the right concepts is very important. If you use the right search terms, your search will yield much better results.

Tip: Use the Search strategy form for deskresearch to keep track of the search terms you have already collected.


Do you find it difficult to come up with good search terms? Then use the following tips:

  • If you already noted down search terms for your mind map and sources during your orientational phase, than you can also use these.
  • You can use (online) dictionaries to translate search terms.
  • You can consult an online thesaurus, but these are often not suitable for subject specific discourse.
  • You can find good search terms by scanning relevant articles for useful concepts.  
  • You can use Copilot to collect search terms in any language.

Search terms: example

Main research question:

"What is the influence of the food on offer in school canteens on obesity among Dutch university of applied sciences students over te past 10 years?"

Sub-questions:

"What measures are being taken in school canteens to combat obesity among students?"

"What influences the food choices of university of applied sciences students?"

"What changes have taken place in the food on offer in school canteens over the past 10 years?"

You can derive the following search terms from the main and sub-questions above. In section 3 you can read how to combine search terms in a clever way.

Subject Search term
Obesity overweight, obese, healthy weight
Canteens (university of applied sciences)

school canteen, higher education,

students, adolescents, schools
Measures

regulations, prevention, guidelines,

nudging, influences, improve,

dietary, eating, behaviour,

interventions, healthy, healthier,

unhealthy, food choices, food supply,

candy, fast food, vending machines,

junk food, fruit, low-calorie foods

 

 

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
Interventions regulations, prevention, guidelines, nudging, influences, improve, dietary, eating, behaviour, behavior, interventions, healthy, healthier, unhealthy, food choices, food supply, candy, snackfood, vending machines, junkfood, fruit, low-calorie foods

 

Test your knowledge - Orientation

Check: this is what you have learned!

 

  • You have learned how and why you need to orientate yourself on your topic.  
  • You have learned how and why you need to define a topic.
  • You have learned what you need to take into account when formulating main- and sub- research questions.
  • You have learned how and why you need to collect different search terms.

2. Choosing Sources

Beeld: Evalien Langhorst, Hogeschool RotterdamYou can find a wealth of information on the internet and in sources accessible from the library, but how do you find a source that is relevant to you?


Where you search largely determines what you find. Research data on young people with obesity can be found in a different place than data on the market for dietary supplements. In order to answer your (research) question, you need to search for information in different types of sources.

Types of information

It is important that the information source you choose matches your information needs. To do this, you need to be able to distinguish between different types of information, such as:

  • News
  • Theory
  • Legislation
  • Market reports
  • Company information
  • Information about trends
  • Application of a theory
  • Statistical information
  • Scientific information

Each type of information has its own source. This section explains where you can find the different types of information.

More and more information can be found on the internet, but:

  • The quality of the information is not always easy to determine.  
  • You often cannot access the information because it is hidden behind a paywall.

Start with sources provided by the library:

  • The library's sources are selected based on quality, offer structured information and are purchased specifically for Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences and your study programme. You can use them free of charge.
  • You can start at home: you can consult the library sources on your own laptop. If you want to access one of the sources, you will be asked to log in with your RUAS account.
  • You can access the library sources from home even more easily by installing the Library Access tool in your browser.

On the library website you will find:

This section covers the following topics:

2.1 START

2.2 Databases

2.3 Digital repositories

2.4 Newspapers and magazines

2.5 Trend and market reports

2.6 Books and e-books

2.7 Other types of information

2.8 Search engines

2.9 Google scholar

2.10 Open educational sources

2.1 START

START stands for STudy And Research Tool and is the library's search engine. You can use this search engine to find articles, journals, e-books and books.

Digital collection

With START, you can search through many databases at once, although there are some exceptions. You can find e-books, articles from (academic) journals and literature references, but no market reports etc.

If you get a lot of search results or if you want to refine your search, you can use the filter options on the left. These allow you, for example, to filter through material type or publication year. With advanced search, you can see which databases are being searched on the right.

Sometimes you may find a book or article that you cannot access through the library. Would you still like to read such a book or article? Then you can request it via the Interlibrary Loan Service (ILL). If you tick "full text" (under "Show only"), you will only see results that you can access from the library.

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.

Physical collection

You can also use START to search for printed books in the library. You can use the filters under "Material type" and select the filter option "Printed book" to indicate that you are looking for printed books. In the filter options you can also select a location. You will then immediately see which books are available at that location and whether they are on loan. If you do not select a location you will see whether the books is available at any of the locations.

Are you looking for a book that the library does not have? Then you can request it via the Interlibrary Loan Service (ILL).

Advanced search page

The advanced search page in START allows you to perform a targeted search, for example by keyword, author or (a word from) the title. You can also combine these terms.

2.2 Databases

Why would you search in a database when you have Google?

When you search in a database you have more and better search options, which increases the relevance of your search result. Moreover, a search engine does not contain any information itself, but searches through various sources. In addition, there are limitations in how and where searches can be performed.

What is a database?

A database is a digital collection of information. In a database you will find high quality information that is searchable and presented in a structured manner. The library of the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences has licenses with publishers for access to various databases. These can also be consulted from home

The library has licenses for both multidisciplinary databases and subject-specific databases. Go to "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.
  • Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences projects and publications includes projects and publications by lecturers and 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)

For more academic sources visit Information Sources at rotterdamuas.com/library. Apply a filter to the type of information that you are looking for: Theses and research.

2.4.2 Newspapers and magazines

Newspapers and magazinesBeeld: Evalien Langhorst, Hogeschool Rotterdam

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 informationImage: Illustration graph

Looking for statistics, case law, or business information?
You can get a quick overview of these in the following way:

  1. Visit the Information sources on rotterdamuas.com/library
  2. 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.

 

2.5 Sources of Information per study programme

On the library website you will find ‘Information sources per study programme’. On these pages we have placed links for you per subject area: 

  • 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 Scholar is a search engine for academic articles. In terms of appearance it resembles the regular Google,Google Scholar logo 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.

Test your knowledge : choosing sources

Check: this is what you have already achieved!

 

  • 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: *roses renders: 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 words European 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: has been adapted from 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 resultsBeeld: E. Langhorst, Hogeschool Rotterdam

  • 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 allBeeld: E. Langhorst, Hogeschool Rotterdam

  • 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


 

 

 


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

Check: this is what you have already achieved!

 

  • 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 Image: Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, Evalienin 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:

  1. Relevance
  2. Reliability
  3. Currency
  4. 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

Beeld: Evalien Langhorst, Hogeschool Rotterdam

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.

  1. Abstract (summary)
  2. Introduction
  3. Discussion/Conclusion
  4. Results
  5. 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:

  1. To what extent does the information in this article help you to formulate an answer to your research question(s)?
  2. 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?
  3. 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

Check: this is what you have already achieved!

 

  • 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

Bron: E. Langhorst, Hogeschool Rotterdam

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, Beeld: Evalien Langhorst, Hogeschool Rotterdamyou 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.
Bron: E. Langhorst, Hogeschool Rotterdam
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. 

Bron: E. Langhorst, Hogeschool Rotterdam
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.


Please visit Rotterdamuas.com/copyright 
of e-mail the CIP.

Test your knowledge – Processing and referencing

Check: this is what you have already achieved!

  • 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

Take the test and earn an edubadge!


Classroom test (teacher request):

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. More information is available on our website.

Individual test (student application):

You can earn an edubadge by taking the test associated with this course. The test is administered by the ANS testing system and is available to you for a fixed period of time. Request the test at least one week before the test week indicated below using this link.


Test dates for 2025–2026 have not yet been determined.  Therefore, the test cannot be requested yet.

Please note

  • The test - including 2 resits - will be available to you for one week.
  • You will have 90 minutes to complete the test. Once you open the test, the time starts running until the 90 minutes are up, even if you close the test. You must therefore take the test in one sitting.
  • Once you have taken the test in class, you cannot take it individually and vice versa. Please bear this in mind.