What is Literature Review Finding Information Searching using the Internet Evaluating Sources Reading a Scientific Paper	Citing Sources Writing a Good Review Quiz / Feedback Powerpoint Download	Literature Review Exercise Assessment Rubric Sample Literature Review Submission of Exercise Retrieval of Results
Searching Using the Internet One of the most popular ways of gathering information is to click "Search" on Google. The internet provides so much convenience, gives so much information and is so easy to use. No wonder so many students rely so much on the internet. Google's the way to go. This page re-explains searching using the internet and lets you search the internet like you've never done before. Before clicking on "Search" Before you start the search Think about the information you are searching for Is it likely to be available for free? Would a print or other electronic sources be more appropriate? (eg. encyclopaedia or journal articles) Would it be better to use a search engine or a subject directory? What words best describe your subject? Try to be as precise as possible. Some search strategies Find the focus of your question Identify the key concepts Understand these concepts Use alternative terms to describe these concepts Know where you should start looking Build on what you've found Begin with reviews of an area of study (especially for humanities and social sciences) To broaden a search Reduce the number of concepts you are using Look for alternative terms Use more general search terms Use subject headings as search terms Use an "OR" search Use Boolean operators correctly Use truncation to get variations on your term Use alternate spellings To narrow a search Look for more specific alternative terms Use an "AND" or "NOT" search Use Boolean operators correctly Use more precise terms Remove any truncation Boolean Operators OR Allows any of the specified search terms to be present AND Requires that all search terms be present NOT Requires that a particular search term not be present "(search query)" Exact phrase must be present Resources List of Search Engines Librarian's internet index http://lii.org Internet public library http://www.ipl.org National library board (free access to journals) http://www.nlb.gov.sg Google, Yahoo, Livesearch, ASK http://www.dogpile.com List of Scientific Journals PubMed, US National Library of Medicine http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Highwire Library of Sciences and Medicine http://highwire.stanford.edu Elsevier - browse journals by subject http://www.elsevier.com Scirus - browse journals and science websites http://www.scirus.com List of Online Journals New Scientist http://www.newscientist.com Scientific American http://www.sciam.com ScienceDirect http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journals BACK: Finding Information NEXT: Evaluating Sources
Hwa Chong Institution (High School) | Centre for Scholastic Excellence Research Module | Literature Review | Last updated on January 2009