Research skills
Define the task
Locate information
Essay writing skillsSearch with keywords
If you're not getting enough results, use fewer search words. If you're getting too many results, use more words, like simple phrases.
No matter what the resource or where it is, subject-specific keyword lists can really help you refine your search.
When you're looking for information using search engines, online catalogues and databases, there are a few simple techniques that will help you find what you need:
- use ‘+' to search for two or more words at a time
- don't include small words like ‘at', ‘a', ‘in', ‘of', ‘the', etc.
- use complex keywords and phrases
- use quotation marks to search for an exact phrase, such as a title or a person's name
- try using the ‘advanced search' or ‘construct a search' functions to focus your results
- look at any subject headings listed in a catalogue - they take you to other books on the same topic.
For example
If you were researching women's early efforts to get the vote in Victoria, you could try:
- women + vote
- women + suffrage
- women + vote + Victoria
- vote + vida + goldstein.
A good way to get more targeted results is to use a general word like 'women' with a more specific word like a place or person's name.
For example
If you were studying the history of the Port Phillip settlement you might use:
- people – John Batman, John Pascoe Fawkner
- places – Port Phillip, Sullivan Bay
- events – Batman's treaty, Separation.
Ned Kelly's death mask
The Pioneers of Port Phillip
The Gangland War
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