Biology 457
Research Methods
Deng Pan
dpan@keene.edu
603-358-2725
Agenda
•
•
•
•
Develop your research topic
Develop search strategies
Choose appropriate databases
Examples of using databases
Defining a Topic
• Choose a topic that interests you
• In this class, the topic is an
invasive plant – Purple
Loosestrife
• Preliminary search by browsing
sources, talking to your
professors, your group members,
etc.
Map Your idea
• Create a concept map for your research
topic
• Virtually displays the concepts and
relationships among ideas
• A concept map helps you to further
organize your ideas and define your
topic
Develop a Concept Map
Impact on
species diversity
Nutrient
concentration
Competition with
Goldenrod
Purple loosestrife
Ecosystem
functions
Herbivory
And other
issues…
Develop Research Questions
1.
2.
3.
What’s the effect of purple loosestrife on
species diversity?
What’s the effect of other invasive plants on
species diversity?
Are there any quantity relationships between
native plants and exotic plants?
Impact on species diversity
Agenda
•
•
•
•
Develop your research topic
Develop search strategies
Choose appropriate databases
Examples of using databases
Identify Search Terms
What’s the effect of purple loosestrife on
plant diversity?
Concept 1
Effect
Concept 2
Purple loosestrife
Impact
Lythrum salicaria
Relation
Invasive plants
Concept 3
Plant diversity
Species diversity
Plant populations
Boolean Operators
AND
•
•
Term A
Term B
Searches for materials containing both of the search
terms
Narrows the search
OR
•
•
Searches for material containing either of the search
terms
Broadens the search
Term A
Term B
NOT
•
•
•
Searches for material which contains term A but does not
contain term B
Narrows the search
Use it carefully
Term A
Term B
Truncation/Wildcard
• Allow you to retrieve variations of a specific word
• Expressed by an asterisk (*) or a question mark (?)
Search term
Examples of
searched words
When should it be used
ecolog*
ecology, ecological,
ecologist, ecologists
To find both singular and plural
forms or words with the same
beginning but a different ending
*print
print, reprint, e-print
To find words with the same
ending but a different beginning
organi*ation
organisation,
organization
If you are unsure about spelling;
or want to retrieve different
spelling
Nesting
• Nesting keeps concepts that are alike together and
tells a search engine to search the terms in the
parentheses first.
Question: what’s the effect of purple loosestrife on
plant diversity?
(Effect* OR impact)
AND
(“Purple loosestrife” OR “invasive plant*”)
AND
(“Plant divers*” OR “plant population”)
Review and Refine Your Search
If you get too many hits,
NARROW your search:
If you get too few hits,
BROADEN your search:
• Search with more specific
terms.
• Consider adding additional
search terms by using “AND”
• Limit your search by
discipline, date, language,
or type
• Search with less specific
terms.
• Consider using “OR” to add
synonyms.
• Consider using truncation or
wildcard to retrieve more
variations
• Consider removing a term(s)
from your search strategy.
Agenda
•
•
•
•
Develop your research topic
Develop search strategies
Choose appropriate databases
Examples of using databases
What They Cover?
• Content scope and time scope
• General databases
• Academic Search Premier
• Subject-specific databases
• GEOBASE
• AGRICOLA
• Back file database
• JSTOR
Agenda
•
•
•
•
Develop your research topic
Develop search strategies
Choose appropriate databases
Examples of using databases
Examples of Using Databases
• www.keene.edu/library>Find an
esource>Biology>Articles and databases