There are many skills needed for effective research, but remember that learning those skills is a winding process and will take time. Choose at least 1 activity from the list below. It’s up to you and your needs on which you choose.

If you’re interested in brainstorming your topic or keywords, try the Keywords activities.
If you’re interested in learning more about which databases are available at UW Libraries, try the Database Searching activities.
If you’re interested in trying out different search strategies, try the Advanced Search Techniques activities.

Keywords

Using the Concept Mapping & Keywords worksheet, brainstorm ideas for a topic and keywords.
Using the Developing Keywords for Database Searching worksheet, brainstorm keywords for a topic of interest.

Database Searching

UW Libraries Search

Start on the UW Libraries Homepage.
Type keywords for a topic you’re interested in (e.g. Covid-19, or cats) or the title of a book or the name of a favorite author and hit Search.
Scroll through the search results and see what types of items come up.
Notice the filters on the left side of the search results page. If you’re looking for a book, you’ll probably want to find the filter for Print Books or eBooks under Resource Type, then hit Apply Filters. Play around with the filters until you find items of interest.
Reflect: Do you think this database will be useful? Were you surprised by any of your search results? When do you think you would want to use this database?

Multidisciplinary Database

Start on the UW Libraries Homepage.
Scroll down to Start Your Research Online and click Articles and Research Databases.
Choose a multidisciplinary database to practice with. For scholarly journal articles, we recommend Academic Search Complete or Web of Science listed under Starting Points.
Start with a basic keyword search. Think of something you would like to research, then think of two or three keywords to describe what you are looking for. Type the keywords into the keyword fields and see what kinds of results come up.
Notice the filters on the left side of the search results page. If you’re looking for peer-reviewed articles, you can check the box next to Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals. (Note: Web of Science doesn’t have a filter for Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals because all of its content is from scholarly, peer-reviewed journals.) Play around with the filters until you find items of interest.
Reflect: Do you think this database will be useful? Were you surprised by any of your search results? When do you think you would want to use this database?

Advanced Search Techniques

In either a multidisciplinary or subject-specific database (see Research Guides for subject-specific databases), see if you can practice some of the Advanced Search Tips covered in this module.
Keep in mind that Boolean Operators and Filters are often built into database interfaces already. Tip: Finding the advanced search option will often bring up useful filters and limits.
Experiment with different terms, databases, and advanced tools to see how these change your search results. Don't worry about becoming an expert searcher. UW Libraries staff is here to help if you need any assistance or have any questions.

Congratulations! You’ve finished the Database & Search Skills module. Check it off the Tutorial Action Plan!