Research at CMU - Guides to Success




* Internet search engines have their limits.  Students need to be aware of what they are and of how much they miss
(even on the internet) when they rely on them alone.

Here are some examples of typical things on the internet that search engines will miss:
 

The CMU University Libraries main web page is a good place to start to locate the hidden parts of the internet. It is found at the following URL: http://www.library.cmu.edu.  It's important to note that the University Libraries have purchased access to a useful collection of databases that will aid you in your research.  All students should become familiar with the main web page of the University Libraries.

Here's a description of the "Invisible Web" and tools for helping to find some of what's out there:

 http://searchenginewatch.com/sereport/99/07-invisible.html

* Database structure and content are important.  It varies and can affect the success/failure of a search.  Compare Newspaper Abstracts  in First Search with the News sources of Lexis/Nexis.

* Online help screens - search queries must match the syntax of the database in use.  Here's an example of how using the online help screens can increase your chances for success or ease the burden of information overload.  Our History Librarian has given us some guidelines for obtaining certain types of articles from ProQuest and Lexis/Nexis.

http://www.library.cmu.edu/bySubject/History/editorials.html

* Careful broadening of a search strategy can be done as you begin to look for information.  A good example is when I first started to dabble with this topic.  In many databases "aggressivity" will bring forth relevant literature.

* Spelling! Spelling! Spelling!  ... as I found out with my attempts to spell "aggressivity."

* Searching for information buried in books.

* The importance of persistence.

* Remember that the reference librarians are here to help.  We can be a valuable aid in beginning your research.  Here's a convenient listing of the library subject liaisons.         http://www.library.cmu.edu/Services/sliaisons.html
 

The URL for this page is http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~matthewm/researchtips.html