Dec
How to Surf for Research
Be here now…
“There may be a long list of things to do, but
really there is just one thing on the list at any time.
If you think of it like that, the whole world
looks different, and you can stay quite calm”
Zoketsu Norman Fischer, 2006, p. 1
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/62/story_6298_1.html?WT.mc_id=NL53
Assignments: Research proposal aid – Finding the articles
Start with the most up-to-date journal sources on your topic.
Search from the reference list of the relevant articles that you find.
Collect articles that support your choice of participants/materialsprocedure/analysis or design. This will identify gaps, and help you with what to write where – no need to re-invent the wheel.
Use Boolean Logic for surfing (outlined below!)
Make use of the Student Psychology Forum http://www.psitutor.org/Forum.html
Email the researcher directly if you can’t find/access the full text an abstract will indicate their university affiliation their other articles will usually have an email address (it’s their for a reason : )
Assignments: Research surfing tips
George Boolean developed the Boolean logic which most search engines use when they are sourcing your keywords. Here’s a brief guide to effective surfing
(Cohen, L. (2006). A primer in Boolean logic. Retrieved May 6th, 2006, from University at Albany, University Libraries Web Site:
http://library.albany.edu/internet/boolean.html).
OR counseling OR psychotherapy OR therapy- using synonyms for your keyword will expand your search.
AND counseling AND elderly
- narrows your search for all your keywords.
NOT counseling NOT males
- excludes keywords you don’t want included in the search.
Combos (counselor OR psychotherapist) AND elderly
- parenthesis searched first
+ counseling + elderly
- shorthand AND
- elderly –male
- shorthand NOT
“ ” “cognitive behavioural therapy”
- prevents spaces between a phrase being defaulted to AND/NOT
