Week 6

Apply selected tools and strategies to locate  information

Truncation and Wildcard

Truncation:

• Truncation expands the search to locate all words beginning with the same root .

You can see from the example that with one single keystroke, the * symbol, you can go from searching a single word to searching many variations of the word.

In any database, look for Search Tips or Help to see what symbols the database uses for truncation. You'll probably find that, in addition to truncating, the database offers other techniques for manipulating words. Truncation can also be used on many search engines.

Example: teen* will return teen, teens, teenage, teenager, etc.)

Wildcard:

• A Wildcard is used in the middle of a word to match usually known variants of a term. A wildcard usually represents a single character,
• The wildcard symbol can be used to replace one letter in a word. This will instruct the computer to do a search and match all letters in the word and use any letter to replace the wildcard symbol.

• VERY IMPORTANT: The TRU library catalogue uses “$”, but all of the article databases use “*” for their truncation and wildcard symbols.

Example: wom?n will return woman, women, and womyn.

Week 5

Brainstorming for search terms

Search Strategies:

• Brainstorming for Search Terms 
• Selecting keyword 

Examples of subject headings are:

1. Library Subject Headings
2. Science Subject Headings
3. Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms

Boolean Operators

What is Boolean operators?

(named for George Boole, 1815-1864, a mathematician) - combining terms such as AND, OR, and NOT used in building a search statement or in putting several sets together

OR

• Broadens a search by linking two or more terms
• Ose the connector OR to retrieve items that may have EITHER term
• OR is used to combine synonyms or related terms
• Items represented by the shaded area are retrieved.

AND

• Narrows a search by linking two or more terms
• Use the connector AND to retrieve items that must have BOTH terms
• AND is used to combine different ideas or concepts
• Only items represented by the shaded area are retrieved.

NOT

• Narrows a search by excluding items containing a second search term
• Use the connector NOT to find items that have the first term but not the second
• In the example, all items with the term cats will be retrieved except those also containing the word dogs
• Only items represented by the shaded area are retrieved
• Use NOT with caution; you may exclude relevant items

Week 4

Search Tools:

Online Databases:

How to Use an Online Database

Here below we have an example of  some of the method of Online databases searches.

Simple Screen

Advanced Screen

This is an advanced searches which make the research more specific. 

week 3

Describe appropriate tools and search strategies to find information

Search Tools:

Library Catalogues:

OPAC (Online Public Access Catalogue):

It serves as the focal search point for the AIU Library contents.  Based on search criteria of author, subject or title, the retrieval or hit list screen will display attributes such as publisher, date of publication, call number and availability.

http://www.italic.aiu.edu.my
 What else the online Library catalogue provide us?
The OPAC provides you with details about the books, audiovisuals, and other materials that can be found in our library.
One good reason is that libraries throughout the world use a similar system.
How to start using italic:
Log on to the aiu library iPortal at http://www.italic.aiu.edu.my.
Those who have registered with library can directly  be login by key-in your user ID & password. Click at Submit to login your account.
Patron Access
Once log in we can see our account summary as below:
Note:
From here you may know:

• How many items that you have borrowed out.

• How many items is overdue.

Search Tools:

Internet:

 Internet as Information Environment

• A web search engine is designed to search for information on the World Wide Web.

• No “direct” searching of other computers - access to search tools only.

• Search tools search through limited lists of sites.

• The information may consist of web pages, images, information and other types of files.

 Search Tools: Internet

1. Internet: electronic network that connect personal computers and organizational computer/others around the world.
2. The internet is available to anyone with computer, connections and Internet Service Provider.
3. Internet called as Information Superhighway

 Search Engines

• A search engine is designed to search for information on the World Wide Web.

• Search engine use computer software that makes the WWW searchable using keywords and phrases.

• Internet has many different search engine to find information.

• Compiled by spiders (computer-robot programs), mechanically building database of references.

• Matches searched-for keywords with words in full text of selected web pages.

• Number of pages searched can vary from small number to 90% of the web.
•  Good For: Precision searches, using named people or organisations, searching quickly and widely, topics which are hard to classify

  Not Good For: Browsing through a subject area

 Search Engines

Google: http://www.google.com/ 

AltaVista: http://www.altavista.com/

Alltheweb: http://www.alltheweb.com/ 

Bing

Yandex

Baidu

Ask.com