Exhaustive Search Strategy

When doing a literature review on a subject of interest it is better to do an exhaustive search in the library and other information sources outside of the library.An exhaustive search ensures maximum location of literature related to the subject. Make sure the search strategy is clearly set out in the begining. Simply, it means to make sure you know the search terms before you actually begin your search.

There are various ways to do a literature search. I offer two ways here and let us call them Strategy 1 and Strategy 2. This is illustrated with an example and an encounter in class with a student.

Strategy 1

Strategy 1 is to use Direct Search Terms. Direct Searh Terms are words and phrases directly taken from you topic of research. For example, your topic of research may be "Climate Change and Sustainable Development." The search words and phrases taken directly from this topic are:  Climate, Climate Change, Development, and Sustainable Development. Theses terms and phrases are then used to search the catalogue or entered one at a time on your search browser. This strategy may or may not yield all the results required for the topic, If it does not yield maximum results, move on to Strategy 2.

Strategy 2

Strategy 2 is to use Derived Search Terms. Derived Search Terms are terms and phrases related to the Direct Search Terms in Stategy 1. In other words, they are related terms and phrases to your topic of research "Climate Change and Sustainable Development." El Nino and drought are two related terms to the topic. Your identification of related terms depends on your general knowledge and how widely you read. Another way to identify related terms is to pick up other terms from the search results. You may also identify other terms through discussion with colleagues or fellow students. For example, a week ago i was having a discussion with a small group of students on using certain web2 applications for information gathering. I told the class that through the use of the social media i am able to learn new terms and one of these is the "sixth mass extinction". Immediately one of the students asked to see me after class about "the sixth mass extinction". After class it transpired during our discussion with this particular student that he is currently working on a topic similar to the example used here. He is working in collaboration with staff or students from ANU. We checked the ANU Library and sure enough there are three titles in its collection that treat the subject "the sixth mass extinction".  The student had never come across the phrase "the sixth mass extinction". Our discusion in class on another subject led to his discovery which helped him to broaden his search terms while conducting research. It also maximised his volume of literature on his subject of research.

In summary be organized and plan your search strategy in order to maximise you search results.