2008 workshop conducting a literature search

Conducting a Literature SearchNola du Toit Center for Family and Demographic Research Workshop Series Spring 2008... What is a Literature Search?“A literature search is a well thought o

Conducting a Literature Search

Nola du Toit

Center for Family and Demographic Research

Workshop Series

Spring 2008

What is a Literature Search?

“A literature search is a well thought out and organized search for all of the literature published on a topic A well-structured literature search is the most effective and efficient way to locate sound

evidence on the subject you are researching Evidence may be found in books, journals, government documents and the

internet.” 1

Purpose of a Literature Search

 Broadens your knowledge on a topic

 Shows your skill at finding relevant information

 Allows for critical appraisal of research

What is your question?

 Create a chart with possible key words

 Stay focused

 Unmarried fertility = out-of-wedlock childbearing = single mothers = non- marital births

Search Strategy

 Set limits on your search

 What is your perspective?

 What is your contribution?

 Check syllabi

 Who are the big players?

Search Tools

 Truncated search words

 Marr* = married, marriage, marry

 Boolean logic

Use OR, NOT, AND

BGSU

Library Homepage

1 Academic

Search

Complete

2 Search by journal

name

3 BGSU

catalog

4 OhioLINK catalog

Academic Search

Complete

Type in search word

Limit by

context (author, title, etc)

Add more

search criteria

Add to folder

Click on the title opens the abstract

Number of

times cited in database

Narrow by

subject

Find It!

Open link to find full text version of

Search for

a specific journal

Enter journal title or search

by subject

Provides links to full text version

of articlesCHECK

DATES!!!!

Search by keyword, author, etc

Pick a book and click on title

See if BGSU has a copy

If not, request the item

Google Scholar

Can search for books and articles

Can do an

advanced

search

Link to articles that cited the work

Now what?

Critique the Literature

 Is it relevant to my research?

 Is the study significant?

 Strengths and weaknesses

Critique the Literature

 Is the research biased by emotions or public opinion?

 Who is the target reader?

 Public, academic peers, policy makers

The CFDR can help!

Thank you!

 Sources

 http://www.nursingtimes.net/ntclinical/how_to_conduct_a_literat ure_search.html

 http://newadonis.creighton.edu/HSL/Guides/Lit-Review.html

 http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/litrev.html