Step 3: Researching the Significance of the Accomplishment
Once you have background information on both your person and a historical frame of reference, it's time to combine the two and find more information about why this person's contribution was significant and what this person did.
To do this using the library's research databases, you'll need to use KEYWORDS and BOOLEAN operators to format your search.
Using Keywords & Boolean Searching
The library's databases work by matching - they search for exactly what you type in (unlike Google).
When using the library's databases, instead of searching with sentences or phrases, you should search with KEYWORDS.
To choose keywords, start by identifying the most important part of your topic. Then brainstorm synonyms and other similar terms.
After you have identified keywords for your topic, combine them with BOOLEAN operators (AND, OR, NOT).
HINT: The boolean operator students find most useful is AND.
Once you have a list of KEYWORDS, you can combine them with BOOLEAN operators to create your searches.
Once you know the basics of searching with KEYWORDS and BOOLEAN operators, you will find that it is much easier to find what you need in the library's research databases.
Library Databases to Try
Remember to use KEYWORDS and the BOOLEAN term AND for best search results.
Example searches:
- jane fonda AND vietnam
- jane fonda AND anti-war movement
- General OneFile (Gale) This link opens in a new window
(GALE) Gale’s largest general-interest periodical source, General OneFile includes reference, newspaper, and audio content that complements the resource's robust collection of magazines and journals.
- College (Gale In Context) This link opens in a new window
(GALE) Offers interdisciplinary content that reinforces the development of skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration, creativity, and innovation. Learners can access news content including full-text newspapers and periodicals like The Economist, The New York Times, National Geographic, Newsweek, Popular Science, Smithsonian, and more. Empower learning with hundreds of thousands of images, videos, and audio selections that include archival film clips, broadcast video, BBC News, New York Times video, and NPR.
- Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
(EBSCO) A scholarly multi-disciplinary database that provides full text, indexing, and abstracts, videos and images from journals, magazines and newspapers. Full text of articles from 6500+ journals, magazines and newspapers, plus image collections.
