Subject Research, Course Guides, Documentation: Computer Science: Search Strategies

Identify Main Concepts

Once you've written a research question, break that question down by identifying the main terms or concepts.

I am study human computer interaction in computer-aided learning in order to develop more useful augmented reality programs.

Generate Synonyms

List synonyms for the keywords that you underlined in your research question.

Human Computer Interaction	Computer aided learning	Augmented Reality
HCI	artificial intelligence	artificial reality
Man-machine interaction	computer-based learning	simulation
Human machine interface		VR

Create Search Strings

Unlike with Google, where you can type in full sentences or questions, when searching in any of the library resources (Primo, journals, or databases) you need to use the Boolean Operators AND, OR, and NOT to string together your search terms.

Other Search Tips

Truncate Root Words

Phrases

Use multiple search terms and parentheses in your search strings

Using an * at the end of a word such as teen* will bring back everything with that root (teens, teenager, teenagers, teenage).

Putting quotation marks around a phrase will tell Primo to keep those words together. For example: "social media."

Social media without quotes can bring back articles on how social movements are publicized on television media.

The words social and media both appear, but without being linked together, it's not the concept of social media that you're looking for.

Teen* AND "social media" AND (peer comparison OR social comparison)

Using parentheses is a lot like the distributive property in math. The search inside the parentheses is done first.

Try to be as specific as possible with your search. Using a search such as social media AND teen will bring back everything from social media effects on healthcare to how social media is used to market acne products to teens.

Instead, try being specific about what you are searching for. For example, if my topic is the impact of social media on teenage body image, then I might use the search string "social media" AND teen* AND body image.

Be Aware:

Use truncation carefully. For example: Cell* will bring back everything from cellular phones to cellulitis, so you could inadvertently increase your search with irrelevant results.