Effective searching

Step by step Please ask for help if you get stuck.

This exercise will take you through the same steps in CSA as the presenter demonstrated. If this is too easy for you move on to the suggestions in the Effective searching : time to play handout.

1.  Find a computer and use the internet browser to locate http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/oxlip

2.  Choose the Title List and choose C in the A-Z list to find Cambridge Scientific Abstracts

3.  Click on the link to Cambridge Scientific Abstracts as displayed below:

Cambridge Scientific Abstracts (For direct access from Oxford University)

Metasearching across a range of databases

4.  Enter a search term in the search box eg research students.

5.  Select a subject area eg Social sciences.

6.  Click on Search

Click on the + sign to see how many records are in each database

Using your search results

References can be saved, emailed and imported into reference managing software. CSA allows direct export into Refworks but also possible to get the records into Endnote.

7.  Click on the to see where you can find the full-text online or link into the Library catalogue OLIS. [You can request an Inter-Library-Loan if not available in Oxford] Click on the X in the top right of the pop-up box to get back to your references.

Note: You could click on any hyperlinked text eg the keywords attached to each reference to continue your search

8.  Mark a few records by clicking in the box to the left of each reference then click on Save,Print,Email. [Clicking on the Refworks icon would allow you easy export to Refworks] Enter your Email address to send yourself the references having chosen your preferred style (APA etc).

Advanced searching

9.  Click on the Advanced Search tab towards the top of the screen

10.  Enter keywords in the search boxes noting where they are combined with or and and

11. Use the drop-down arrows to choose to search in a specific field of the records rather than “Anywhere” eg Keywords, Author, Title, Descriptors …

Using a Thesaurus to help with search terms

12. Click on the Search Tools tab

13. Click on the Thesaurus tab

14. Select a thesaurus for a relevant database eg ASSIA or ERIC

15. Enter a search term in the Browse thesaurus box and click on Alphabetical index

16.  You could do a new search using the terms you find in the thesaurus if you wanted

Use History/ Combine Searches to help with a systematic search

17.  Click on History / Combine Searches tab. You will see a record of the searches you have made and can use this feature to combine searches.

18.  Click on Advanced Search and search on your own research keywords. Doing each one separately helps you to see which ones are more useful – you can then return via Search tools to the History/ Combine Search.

Oxford University Library Services 23 April 2008