HAS 1200 Introduction to Animal Science

Break down your question.

What are the essential things a source will need to include to be relevant to you? These are the main concepts of your research question.

One way to identify these is to write out your research question and then underline the most important words.

Note: Words like help or impact aren't great search terms. If you really want to narrow in on sources about those topics, try a formal version like benefits, efficacy, or effectiveness. Or try brainstorming measurable outcomes that would show the impact of your topic and add that your search. 

Take a moment to think about search words.

The first word you think of is not the only word you can use. Each word will return different results.

Try thinking creatively about your options. Write down a few related words and synonyms. Then consider any broader categories or examples. If you're stuck, try Googling your topic for ideas.

For example, let's brainstorm other search words to help us find more information about the debate around raising and eating veal.

You can repeat this process with each of your key concepts.

Use Advanced Search to build a strong search.

Open the advanced search tool in a library database, and ask for information on your topic.

• Use the Boolean Operator "OR" to tell the database any of the phases you enter are okay. 
• Use quotation marks to ask for an exact phrase.
• Don't ask a question or use any unnecessary words.

For example:

"public land" OR "federal land" OR "national parks"

AND

grazing OR livestock

Then use filters to see the types of materials you need or to narrow in on a particular topic.

Try These Tricks When Searching Online

Tools like these help you find better search results more quickly.

Use the limiter site: to filter which websites your results are from. Add your own search terms after that.

Domain Name

Ask for websites that end with a certain domain name that may be more reliable or relevant.

• site:.gov  only returns sites that end with .gov (federally funded government sites)
• site:.edu only returns sites that end in .edu (higher education sites)

Website

Search an entire website from the back end with Google.

Add quotation marks around a word or phrase in a Google search to:

• require all results include that word or phase
• specify an exact phrase or spelling

Find the Tools button at the top of your search results. When toggled, new options will be revealed, like the option to filter results by the date they were published. You may also choose to use the Google advanced search to get more specific!