Or, the Cure for "I Can't Find ANYthing!"

The Internet has made us impatient.  We want information, and we want it now!  Using online search tools, such as the Library's WebCat and databases, and the Internet itself, does make it easy to get information quickly.  However, you'll almost never find everything you need for a paper using one search tool, and in one search.  Good research takes time, and you'll sometimes be left with the overwhelming feeling that you can't find ANYthing about your topic. Don't despair, and don't change your topic just yet! Read on for some pointers.

• Make a list. Before you even start searching--or if you're frustrated and regrouping--come up with a short list of 4-6 keywords, which are words, terms, and even names that could be used to describe your topic. For example, if you're researching euthanasia, you'd definitely want to try "euthanasia," "assisted suicide," and "Jack Kevorkian." As you go along, keep an eye out for other words to add to your list.  For instance, you may discover in one source that you find that Thomas Youk was one of Dr. Kevorkian's patients.  Add his name to your list, and then be sure to use it as a keyword as well.
   
• Always check your typing and spelling. It's easy enough to make a typo, and many words can have more than one correct spelling. For example, "marijuana" can also be spelled "marihuana."
   
• Don't overload the search box with too many words. Search tools don't understand questions like "What are the ethical implications of euthanasia?" Boil your search statement--the words you enter into the box on the screen--down to a few short words. You can even use the words "AND," "NOT," and "OR" to connect words, like "ethics AND euthanasia." This is a better way to tell the computer that you're looking for articles about the ethical implications of euthanasia.
   
• Carefully construct search statements.  Don't just type in the first words that come to mind into the search box.  Look at your list: how can you combine names, words, and phrases to get exactly what you need?  In addition to using AND, NOT, and OR as described above, you can use quotation marks to group words together.  Typing "assisted suicide" with the quotes may get you different results than without them. You can also use these two techniques together, for example:

"assisted suicide" OR euthanasia
"death penalty" OR "capital punishment"

Using these two search statements would help someone researching either of these topics because different names are often used to describe a controversial issue.  If you had just typed in "euthanasia," you may not have found any resource that refers to it as "assisted suicide."

• Change the search settings. Most online search tools have a number of different settings for things like dates, kinds of publications, and kinds of searches. Subject search doesn't work? Try a keyword search. If the tool is set to retrieve information from the past 6 months, try extending the date to cover the previous year.
   
• Try a different research tool.  Can't find any books in the Library Catalog?  Try finding some articles in the databases. Nothing in Academic OneFile?  Re-read the descriptions of the databases (by clicking on the question marks next to their names) and see if there is another database that would work better for your topic. Keep in mind that keywords that work in one research tool may not necessarily work well in another.
   
• Ask for help!  The Library staff are experts when it comes to finding information.  You can ask for help when you're in the library, call us, or even email for help.