This page will introduce you to the principles of effective searching. Having a strategy will save you time and make your searches more effective.
- Think carefully about what you are looking for: be focused and specific.
- Decide where the best place to look is: Google, a Library database, One Stop Search...
- What sort of information are you looking for? For example, a basic introduction, a detailed explanation, a set of statistics providing evidence of research? Think about where you are most likely to find this: an online reference work might give you a basic introduction, a book may provide a more detailed explanation and a statistics database or journal article may be the place to find evidence.
- Try searching and if you don't find anything within a reasonable time period, e.g. 30 minutes, be prepared to change your strategy. For example, use different words to search or use a different resource. Take out redundant words from your search.
- If you find too many results, add some words to your search. If too few results, make your search broader by taking some words out.
- Above all, keep focused on what you need to find and don't get side-tracked!
- Remember that if you get stuck, you can contact the Library Helpdesk for help.
Your search process may look something like this (click to see a larger version of the picture):
You can read the text description of the search process on the TU120 website.
Library website on your mobile
