Library presentation for JOMC 714, Database & Web Research, February 2014.

1. Randall’s Initial Research Question
I want to study how
nonprofits use
Electronic media
to solicit
donations
http://www.flickr.com/photos/crystaljingsr/3915514014/

2. Parse the Question
• Pick out keywords
– Nonprofits
– Electronic media
– Solicit
– Donations
• Consider relationship between the concepts
– All of these are unique concepts
– Link with AND

3. “nonprofits AND electronic media AND
solicit AND donations”  1 hit in EBSCO
“Trio”
Nonprofits
1 result at the intersection
of these 4 concepts
Electronic
media
solicit
1
donations
http://guides.lib.unc.edu/matc716

4. Yipes! 1 result??
• We know intuitively
that there should be
some articles out
there …
• How can we refine &
get results?
http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1058971

5. How Do We Get More?
Truncation / wildcard  *
– donat* = donate, donates, donation, donations
– nonprofit* = nonprofit, nonprofits
Look at EBSCO subject terms & add to above
– ENDOWMENT*
– Internet
More synonyms
– E-mail* OR email*
– fund-rais*

6. In English / CMMC-ese
• (nonprofit* or non-profit*) AND (electronic
media OR email* OR e-mail* OR Internet ) AND
( donation* OR endow* OR fund-rais* )

7. Boolean Search with Synonyms
1,511 articles in EBSCO “Trio”
nonprofit* or
non-profit*
1,511 results at the intersection
of these 2 concepts
donation* OR
endow* OR
fund-rais*
1,511
electronic
media OR
email* OR email* OR
Internet

8. Is That a “Good” Number?
• Hmmm
• Probably not.
• That’s too many to go
through
– Too many “false
positives” or articles
that aren’t relevant
http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1058971

9. How Do We Get More Refine?
• Use the “Subject:
Thesaurus Term”
on EBSCO’s left

10. Narrow by Source Type and/or Database

11. DO NOT Refine by Full-text
Why?
Full-text via Find @ UNC

12. Use Find @ UNC if no pdf, html link
Full-text of article
somewhere else
Options for getting
full-text via
Interlibrary Loan

13. If article is not online …

14. Lather, Rinse, Repeat
• Try in different databases
– PubMed
– PsycINFO
• Try with new search terms
http://www.sxc.hu/photo/110154