Skip to main content

Digital Literacy

9 Searching for information

Finding reliable and relevant information is a key skill for university students, particularly when conducting academic research. This guide will walk you through how to use Google, Google Scholar, and Web of Science to search for information effectively.

9.1 Using Google for General Research

Google is a powerful search engine for finding a wide range of information, from websites and blogs to news articles and multimedia. However, it’s important to know how to refine your searches to get relevant results.

9.1.1 Basic Google Search Tips

  1. Use Specific Keywords:
    • Instead of typing long phrases, use specific keywords. For example, if you are researching climate change impacts, try “climate change effects on agriculture” rather than a vague query like “How does climate change affect the world?”.
  2. Use Quotation Marks for Exact Phrases:
    • Enclose phrases in quotation marks to search for exact matches. For example, “sustainable energy solutions” will return results with that exact phrase.
  3. Use Boolean Operators:
    • AND: Includes both terms in your search. (e.g., “climate change” AND “agriculture”)
    • OR: Includes either term in your search. (e.g., “climate change” OR “global warming”)
    • NOT: Excludes specific terms from your search. (e.g., “climate change” NOT “politics”)
  4. Search Within a Specific Site:
    • Use site: to search within a specific website. For example, site:bbc.com climate change will search only on BBC’s website for content related to climate change.
  5. Use Filetype Searches:
    • To find specific file types like PDFs or PowerPoint presentations, use filetype:. For example, “climate change report filetype:pdf” will show only PDF reports related to climate change.
  6. Search for Definitions:
    • To quickly find definitions, use define:. For example, define:epigenetics will return the definition of epigenetics.

9.1.2 Advanced Google Search Tips

  1. Search for Recent Information:
    • To find the most up-to-date information, click on Tools > Any Time > Past Year (or another time range) to filter results based on recency.
  2. Search for Related Websites:
    • To find websites related to a specific site, use related:. For example, related:nytimes.com will show websites similar to the New York Times.
  3. Use Google Books:
    • Use Google Books to find and preview academic books or textbooks. Enter a topic or title, and Google will display books related to your search. Often, you can access a limited preview of the content.

9.2 Using Google Scholar for Academic Research

Google Scholar is a search engine that focuses on scholarly articles, books, theses, and conference papers from academic publishers, professional societies, universities, and other websites.

9.2.1 Basic Google Scholar Search Tips

  1. Use Specific Search Terms:
    • Like regular Google, start with specific terms. For instance, if you're researching cognitive development in children, you could search “cognitive development in early childhood”.
  2. Use Quotation Marks for Exact Phrases:
    • To search for an exact phrase, use quotation marks (e.g., “cognitive development theory”).
  3. Use Boolean Operators:
    • AND: Includes both terms. For example, “memory AND cognition”.
    • OR: Includes either term. For example, “neuroplasticity OR brain adaptation”.
    • NOT: Excludes terms. For example, “autism NOT vaccines”.
  4. Search by Author:
    • To find work by a specific author, use author:. For example, author:Piaget will return works by Jean Piaget.
  5. Search by Journal:
    • To search within a specific journal, use source:. For example, source:“Journal of Psychology” will narrow your search to that journal.

9.2.2 Advanced Google Scholar Features

  1. Sort by Date:
    • Google Scholar automatically shows the most relevant results, but you can also sort by date to see the most recent publications. This is particularly useful for fast-evolving fields.
  2. Cited By Feature:
    • Click Cited by below a search result to see articles that have cited that paper. This helps you find more recent research that builds on earlier work.
  3. Related Articles:
    • Click Related articles to find papers similar to the one you're viewing. This can broaden your research on a specific topic.
  4. Create Alerts:
    • Set up email alerts for new papers on a topic by clicking Create alert on the left-hand menu after a search.
  5. Saving Papers to Your Library:
    • Click the star icon beneath any paper to save it to your Google Scholar library, allowing you to easily access it later.
  6. Find Full Text Articles:
    • While some articles on Google Scholar are behind paywalls, look for links to free versions on university repositories or preprint servers. You can also try contacting the author directly for a copy.

9.3 Using Web of Science for Comprehensive Academic Research

Web of Science is a highly respected academic database that allows you to search for peer-reviewed articles, conference proceedings, and research data across various disciplines. It is a subscription-based service, often available through university libraries.

9.3.1 Basic Web of Science Search Tips

  1. Use Simple Keywords:
    • Start with simple, relevant keywords for your research. Web of Science works best with focused search terms.
  2. Use Boolean Operators:
    • AND: Combines keywords (e.g., “climate change AND agriculture”).
    • OR: Broadens your search (e.g., “neurobiology OR cognitive science”).
    • NOT: Excludes terms (e.g., “genomics NOT microbiology”).
  3. Search by Author, Title, or Topic:
    • Use the drop-down menu next to the search bar to specify whether you’re searching by author, title, or topic. This helps refine your results to what’s most relevant.
  4. Use Quotation Marks:
    • Enclose phrases in quotation marks for exact matches (e.g., “climate resilience”).

9.3.2 Advanced Web of Science Features

  1. Citation Reports:
    • After conducting a search, click Citation Report to see how many times each article has been cited and identify the most impactful papers in your field.
  2. Analyze Results:
    • Use the Analyze Results tool to categorize search results by author, institution, or publication year, helping you identify trends in research.
  3. Use Filters:
    • After your initial search, use filters such as Publication Year, Document Type (e.g., articles, reviews), and Research Area to narrow your results. This is particularly useful for large result sets.
  4. Citation Map:
    • Use the Citation Map feature to visualize citation relationships between articles. This can help you identify key papers and research networks in your field.
  5. Exporting References:
    • Once you’ve found useful articles, you can export citations to reference management tools like EndNote, Zotero, or Mendeley. This saves time when creating a bibliography for your research.
  6. Full-Text Access:
    • If your university subscribes to Web of Science, you’ll be able to access full-text articles directly. Look for the Full Text or PDF links. If no link is available, you can try accessing the article through your university library’s interlibrary loan service.

9.4 Best Practices for Effective Research

  1. Combine Resources:
    • Use a combination of Google, Google Scholar, and Web of Science to ensure comprehensive research. While Google offers general results, Google Scholar and Web of Science provide peer-reviewed, academic sources.
  2. Refine Your Search as You Go:
    • Start broad, then refine your search based on what you find. Use advanced search features and Boolean operators to filter out irrelevant results.
  3. Stay Organized:
    • Keep track of your sources by using tools like Google Scholar’s library feature, or export citations to a reference manager (e.g., Zotero, EndNote, or Mendeley). This helps you stay organized and makes citing sources easier.
  4. Evaluate Credibility:
    • Not all sources are created equal. Always evaluate the credibility of the information you find. Peer-reviewed articles from academic journals (found on Google Scholar and Web of Science) are the most reliable.
  5. Check for Full-Text Access:
    • Many articles are behind paywalls. Check if your university provides access via Google Scholar links or Web of Science. Alternatively, contact the authors directly for access or use interlibrary loan services.