Bias
When you read an article ask yourself what biases it contains. Ask also how it supports or detracts from your research question.
You will want to look for articles that both support and counter your research question.
The first group you will use to support your argument and provide reasons for the reader to agree with you. The second set of articles that disagree with your question are ones that you will address in able to strengthen your paper.
Keyword Searching
Using AND/OR/NOT (Boolean Search Operators)
AND |
Use AND to focus search and combine different aspects of your topic. Example: vegetarianism and environment |
OR |
Use OR to expand your search and find synonyms/related terms. Example: global warming or climate change |
NOT |
Use NOT to exclude a word or phrase from your search Example: emissions trading not United States |
Additional Search Tips
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"Phrase search" - Use quotation marks (" ") to search for a particular phrase. Example: "greenhouse gas emissions" |
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Truncation * - Use an asterisk to find variations of a word. Put an asterisk following the root of the word to find all variations of that word, including singular and plural. Example: environment* (finds environments, environmental, environmentalist, etc.) |
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(Grouping/Nesting Keywords) - Use parentheses ( ) as a way to group all your search terms together. Example: (climate change or global warming) and population growth |