MANAGEMENT FOR THE HEALTH PROFESSIONAL (HSM311) SEARCHING FUNDAMENTALS

There are two ways to search for information: to search by word (keyword) and to search by idea (subject). In keyword searching you choose your search terms; you have greater flexibility but you must try multiple searches using different spellings and synonyms in order to match all the variations authors could use. You will get results not related to your topic. Alternatively, subject searching is very organized and uses only librarian-determined terms; you find your terms-- usually called Subjects or Descriptors-- and you search using them to get fewer, more relevant results. Try using this procedure: 1. Perform a search using important terms that define your topic 2. Find a good result and look at its Subject / Descriptor 3. Perform a subject search using the Subject / Descriptor you find RESEARCH IS A TWO-STEP PROCESS You should divide your research into two stages: Stage 1: Use the library databases to identify a source, e.g., a journal article Stage 2: Use various resources to obtain the source, including: 360 Link to Full Text / List of E-journals – a list of magazines & journals available via ou