Review and exercise: Google Scholar

Let's practice a bit. This exercise is to get you used to strategic searching. Planning your searches better will make finding articles and information much easier and quicker. As you do this exercise write down the words you are searching and the number of results you get next to them.

Go to Google Scholar and click the Advanced Scholar Search link next to the search box. In the first box labeled "with all the words", type "procedural sedation". Click the search button and look at the number or results on the top right of the page.

Now use the limiter options from the drop-down tabs at the left. Change "include citations" to "at least summaries". Change "articles and patents" to "articles excluding patents". Change "anytime" to "since 2007". After each change check the number of results. Make sure to write the number down.

Now click the Advanced Scholar Search link up next to the search box. It will take you back to the search page but it will remember all of the options you put in. In the box marked "with at least one of the words" type "ketamine" and "propofol" and click the search button. Look at how many results you have. Check the search box at the top to see how your search string looks.

Now go back to the advanced search screen and clear all the words. In the box labeled "with the exact phrase" again type in "procedural sedation" and click search. Look at  the results again and compare it to when you did the first search with the same words. Now use the drop-down limiters the same way you did the first time, writing down the number of results as you do.

Go back to the advanced search screen, leaving your current search words there, and in the box labeled "with all of the words" type in "ketamine" and "propofol" and click search. Check the results. Take a look at the search box on the results page to see how it has written your search string out.
Each box has a separate function and if you know how to use them you can narrow your search to better find what you need.

One last look. Create a search for the exact phrase "procedural sedation" with the word "ketamine" but without the word "propofol" and see what you get. Check the limiters to see whether they've reset or are still on. Play around with them to see how the search changes.
Searching strategically gets you the results you need faster.

There is a book in ebrary titled "Successful Keyword Searching: Initiating Research on Popular Topics Using Electronic Databases" with some useful basic information. This book is a little too old to be very relevant anymore but it has an explanation of Boolean searching and controlled vocabulary. I've highlighted the few paragraphs that have pertinent information. The link to it is on the Populi Library Catalog homepage, on the right.