A Search Strategy

Your library research will be more productive and rewarding if you use a systematic and comprehensive approach to gathering the information you need.  Suppose you have been assigned to write a research paper. Consider adapting the following search strategy to your purposes.

ASSIGNMENT

1. I. QUESTION CLARIFICATION
   1. What is my purpose?
   2. What is my subject area?
   3. What do I really need to find?

2. SUBJECT FAMILIARIZATION (How well do I really know my subject area?)
   1. What sources of background information should I consult? (i.e. General encyclopedias, handbooks, dictionaries, yearbooks, specialized encyclopedias, bibliographies, or review articles)
   2. What are the key issues and terms that interest me?
   3. Which aspects of this subject are significant and how are they related? (Choose one that can be your topic)
   4. What are the valid subject headings for my key concepts?

3. AVAILABILITY VERIFICATION (Is the information I need for my preferred topic covered by any available library resources?)
   1. Do my subject headings appear in the library catalog?
   2. Do subject searches in the periodical indexes lead to relevant articles available in this library?
   3. Are there other indexes available in this library?

4. TOPIC REVISION (Is my topic too broad or too narrow for the information available?)
   1. Should I focus on a different key issue?
   2. How is my working thesis to be worded?

5. DATA COLLECTION (What should be kept?)
   1. Which materials should I use?
   2. Am I taking notes and organizing them in a systematic manner?
   3. Do I need to revise my working thesis?
   4. Have I found enough information to stop?

6. COMPLETE ASSIGNMENT