Search for

Secondary Data

What is a search strategy?

A plan for conducting a search

What you input (for a search) affects what your
output (what you find)

Boolean operator AND

Results retrieved
Retrieves the
keywords that you
have typed in the
search box

3
and (+)
or (|)
Use Boolean
Operators
not (-)

Find alternative
terms

1
Analyse the
topic to identify
main ideas

Sources

Search Strategy

Use
Wildcards

" " ( )
Use Double Quotes
& Brackets

Construct search
strategy

Search Strategy:
Step 1 Analyze the topic and identify the
main ideas

The rate of unemployment in China

rate

unemployment
KEYWORDS

China

Search Strategy:
Step 2 Finding alternative terms
The rate of unemployment in China

percentage
figure
number

loss of jobs
recession
retrenchment

Search Strategy:
Step 2 Finding alternative terms
To find synonyms
1) www.thesaurus.com 2) www.google.com

Search Strategy:
Step 3 Combine keywords with Boolean operators:
OR, AND, NOT

OR broadens search
unemployment OR recession

or
unemployment

recession

Search Strategy:
Step 3 Combine keywords with Boolean operators:
OR, AND, NOT

AND narrows search

Unemployment AND China

China

and

Unemployment

Search Strategy:
Step 3 Combine keywords with Boolean operators:
OR, AND, NOT

NOT limits search

China AND Unemployment NOT Singapore
unemployment
and
China

NOT
Singapore

Search Strategy:
Step 3 Combine keywords with Boolean operators:
OR, AND, NOT

Search Strategy:
Step 3 Combine keywords with Boolean operators:
OR, AND, NOT

Default operator is AND.

There is no need to type this operator.

Search Strategy:
Step 3 Combine keywords with Boolean operators:
OR, AND, NOT

Search Strategy:
Using an Inclusion Operator (+) in Google

Putting a plus ("+") sign in front of the word. Include a space

before the "+" sign
Ignores common words and characters such as where, how,
the etc. which slows down the search

Search Strategy:
Using an Exclusion Operator (-) in Google

Leave a space before the exclusion (-) operator

Eliminates pages that contain specific words

Search Strategy:
Using OR Operator in Google

Operators must be in all CAPS

You can also use the symbol | , known as the Pipe.

Search Strategy:
Step 4 Use of Wildcards (*)

Useful for searching variations of a root word

Rat*
Rate, Rates, Rating, Ratings
Commerc*
Commercial, commerce, commercialize

Search Strategy:
Step 4 Use of Wildcards (*)

Search Strategy:
Step 5 To group parts of terms for meaningful
search

" "

Words appear as a phrase

unemployment rate Southeast Asia

Phrase searching in Google

Phrase searching in Databases

Search Strategy:
Step 5 To group parts of terms for meaningful
search

()

Nesting group parts of the search strategy

together using parentheses. Works like
complex expression in algebra

(rat* OR percent*) AND (unemployment OR recession)

Use of nesting in Database

Use nesting to combine alternative terms combined with

BOOLEAN operators (AND, OR )

Searching specific files in

Google

Restrict to specific files

E.g. China+ unemployment rate+filetype:pdf
Articles - pdf
Powerpoint ppt
Word files doc
Excel - xls

Searching Journals and eDatabases

Current & up-to-date information
From periodicals:

In

NP Library
Use of electronic databases

World Wide Web

Searching Journals and eDatabases

Find out whats already been written on the topic

Electronic Databases
StatLink

Use SuperSearch federated search engine

Retrieves the full text article

Searching databases and eJournals

EBSCO Business Source Premier / Academic Search Premier searches more than 3,500 full
text publications covering a broad range of general reference subjects including business
and marketing.

Full text HTML / PDF articles are also available for user downloads

Finding current and archived

news
Contains
Contains
Current
Currentnews
newscoverage
coveragefrom
fromall
all
over
overthe
theworld
worldon
onsciences,
sciences,
technology,
technology,developments,
developments,
products,
products,skills
skillsand
andtechniques
techniques
etc.
etc.

Frequency
Frequency
Daily
Daily
Characteristics
Characteristics
Brief
Briefand
andconcise
concisearticles
articles
reported
reported

Finding current and archived

news

Type in the relevant keywords

Searches all the group of local newspapers

Click on article format to save in pdf

Information about companies

Factiva
Marketline
Business Source Premier
Go to SuperSearch > Find Database >
A to Z

Factiva Database

MarketLine

Business Source Premier

Statistical data
Global Market Information Database
MarketLine
Statistics Singapore
Go to Super Search > Find database >
A to Z

Global

Market Information Database

Statistics are found under Industry profiles

Country profiles
Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)
MarketLine
Go to Super Search > Find database >
A to Z

Cliparts & Multimedia

Search Engines

Full-text Search Engines

Create their listings automatically. They "crawl" or "spider" the web,

then people search through what they have found.
Example: Google & Yahoo!

Metasearch Engines

Send searches to several search engines all at once. The results are
then blended together onto one page.
Example: Clusty, Mamma , Dogpile & Leapfish

57

Why do we need to cite?

What is citation?
A short, multi-part description of a specific information
source used.
What does it do?
To give credit to the sources youve used to create
intellectual work.
To provide information needed to find the cited sources.

58

Why do we need to cite?

Academic Integrity
-

You will not be accused of plagiarism if you cite!

Give credit to those whose ideas/words you have copied.

Credibility to your work

The ability to cite sources distinguishes scholarly work from
other kinds of writing.
- Makes your arguments stronger. Demonstrate that you have
read experts opinions. It shows the depth & scope of your
research.
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-

Track down your research

- Allows the reader to locate and further explore the sources
that you have consulted.
- Awareness of the details of the resources that you have consulted so
that you are able to refer back to these
materials if necessary.
59

Citation style

60

Allows the students to

choose the resources that
they have referred to

61

Electronic Databases

Search
strategy

( ) * and
or
" " not

Internet

Project Topic
Evaluate

Reference Counter
Level 3
Tel: 6460 6290

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