CLDDV 109 - Advocacy Issues in Child Development

Why Do Search Words Matter?

The English language is as rich and diverse as the people who speak it.  Our age, the part of the country we inhabit, our ethnic and cultural backgrounds....all of these factors affect the words we use (and don't use) on a daily basis.  Is that a car you're driving? Or an automobile? Or a vehicle? Or is it simply your ride?  Is that person over there a teenager or a teen or an adolescent or a young adult? It depends who you are talking to, doesn't it?

Search tools are sort of like us: rich and diverse. Some tools work well with keyword searches, while others function best if you can zero in on the specific subject term preferred by that tool.  By using the right search terms you can be more successful at finding the exact information you need for your research paper or project. So how do you know what the "right" term is?

1. Pay attention to terminology as you conduct your preliminary reading. Background research is a great way to pick up synonyms.
2. If you are using a database that assigns subject headings/terms, pay attention to them. If you find a relevant article on a database, examine the list of subject headings/terms connected to that article and add them to your list. 
3. This works for books, too. They all have subject headings, and they are likely to be different from the subject headings used in databases.
4. Talk to a research librarian! Research librarians are out doing research every single day! Chances are good that they've explored your topic with another student and will have some great ideas.

Why Use Books:

Use books to read broad overviews and detailed discussions of your topic. You can also use books to find primary sources, which are often published together in collections.
 

Where Do I Find Books?

You'll use the library catalog to search for books, ebooks, articles, and more.

What if MJC Doesn't Have What I Need?

If you need materials (books, articles, recordings, videos, etc.) that you cannot find in the library catalog, use our interlibrary loan service.

Use Google Scholar to find scholarly information online.

Use these credible Web resources to build upon the knowledge you have already gained about your topic through your reading of books and articles. One of the best ways to evaluate Web resources is to compare what you read on the Web to what you have already learned from all of your other research.

Use these credible web sources for finding relevant statistics to support your research.