How to plan a search strategy

How to plan a search strategy

Tempting though it is to begin using large and powerful databases straight 

away, the following method is recommended prior to the search. 

The practical method of planning a search strategy depends on the prefer-

ences of the individual. Some will opt for paper and pencil, others may use 

a word processor, and some will draw spider diagrams or similar (for example, 

see Tony Buzan's detailed books, including Mind Mapping: Kickstart Your Cre-

ativity and Transform Your Life (Buzan 2006)) perhaps with the aid of specialist 

software. 

The researcher should plan the next five steps before proceeding with the search. 

1  Identify search terms 

2  Limit the search 

3  Truncation, wildcards, and phrases 

4  Combining terms 1 (Boolean logic) 

5  Combining terms 2 (using other connectors) 

See Figure 6.2 for a diagrammatic representation of these steps. 

Step 1: Identify search terms 

The area of research and the information need will already have been defined 

(see Chapters 1 and 4). Using what has been defined, the next step is to focus 

on the words that will be used to find information. The terms which are 

selected for searching are the foundation from which the research grows. 

When reading around the subject in the initial stages of the work, keep a 

record of significant words which may later be used for searching. Together 

with the formal designation of concepts and search terms, these words can be 

used to build up a matrix of keywords for the execution of the search. 

It is beneficial to have a dictionary, a thesaurus, and, possibly, encyclo-

paedias to hand, including any specialist subject publications such as a dic-

tionary of the subject area (for example, a dictionary of economics). Research 

supervisors and other specialists can offer help with the selection of search 

terms. 

For example, the hypothesis might be: 

The news media in the UK is more concerned with sensationalism than balanced reporting. 

The main topics can be broken down into sub-topics and linked areas which 

will also suggest possible search terms. To achieve this the researcher might: 

1  Create a list using main and sub-headings 

2  Compile a table or 

3  Draw a spider diagram or similar (the choice depending on the preference of 

the researcher) 

Figures 6.3, 6.4, and 6.5 show representations of topics as headings and sub-

headings, a table and a spider diagram (which can be hand drawn) respect-

ively. They are by no means exhaustive, but give an outline of a possible 

solution. 

Concepts 

Using the title (or statement or question) as a starting point, extract the main concepts (topics or ideas) and list them in a 

table or use them as a starting point for a spider diagram. 

It is advisable to limit the number of concepts to a maximum of four. Any 

more, and the search becomes over-complex. A large number of concepts may 

indicate that the area of research has not been succinctly defined or is too 

broad. 

Example title: 

With reference to organizations in the UK, to what extent has the 'glass ceiling' been shattered? 

Figure 6.6 shows an example of the concepts using a table. The topics from above can be included in the plans. 

Synonyms 

The researcher's title or hypothesis may use one particular word, but articles written on the same topic may include a 

similar one instead. The effect of not including synonyms in the search is that the records retrieved will exclude relevant 

material that doesn't happen to use identical words. 

The concept term  'organization' in the example above has a number of synonyms, including: 

•  company 

•  corporation 

•  federation 

•  firm 

•  institution 

Use  of  a  thesaurus  will  make  the  task  of  identifying  synonyms  easier. Structured databases often include a thesaurus 

which the researcher should consider using. 

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