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NWACC Library

Anthropology

A guide to the best of the NWACC Library's physical and electronic anthropology resources.

Search Plan Explainer

Use a Search Plan to approach your research strategically.

A search plan has three parts that work together to help you find your sources.

search plan hierarchy with tools, strategies, and you underneath it

Where will you look for information?

Search tools may be open web, like Google, or "deep web" or "hidden web", like Library databases.

Some standard search tools for any topic or subject include:

How will you look for information? What techniques or hacks will you use in the tools you choose?

Explore these helpful strategies.

Keywords down arrow

"Exact phrase" down arrow

Suggestions down arrow

3 Magic Words down arrow

Filters or Limiters down arrow

What will you do as you search and start finding results?

You need to be:

  • Flexible - Be willing to change directions based on what you find, or don't find. This could mean changing your strategies, your search terms, and possibly your working thesis or even your topic.

  • Persistent - Try, and then try again. Maybe switch up your strategies or change your search tool. Consider your keywords or search terms - remember, the words you choose matter and they can make or break a search.

  • Willing to Ask for HELP - Freshman and sophomores in college aren't expected to know how to do college-level research. You are beginners who are learning quickly. Know when to ask for help. The Library and your instructor are great resources. Use them!

Search Strategy Examples

Exact Phrase

Add Quotation Marks to search for an exact phrase or words in a specific or EXACT order. An exact phrase will return more accurate results because it snaps all of the words together, turning it into a phrase that must be found exactly in that order.

Example: human beings vs. “human beings”

3 Magic Words - AND, OR, NOT

Filters

Apply filters to limit your search results. Because they limit your results, filters might also be called limiters. The most common and helpful filters to limit your results are:

  • Date: Limit to the past 5 years, or a specific date range
  • Source Type: Limit to academic/scholarly sources or any other type, such as news or ebooks
  • Peer Review: Limit to scholarly sources that have been peer reviewed

Keywords

Create a list of keywords associated with your topic.

What else could it be called (synonyms)? What describes it specifically (hyponyms)? What is it related to broadly (hypernyms)?

Topics can be narrowed or broadened depending on the use of search terms.

General: archaeology

Narrower: feminist archaeology

Broader: anthropology