Choose a strong, searchable primary inquiry question and analyse your topic for key terms and phrases. Search for professional and scholarly information on your question using a range of search tools and platforms. Describe and analyse your process of ‘re-search’ using expert search strategies and a range of search tools. Include samples of accurate and precise searches. Include new questions you have about inquiry learning generated via your searching and reading of the information you have found. You are encouraged to use mind maps and tables to present your analysis.
Where do I start?
You have already posed three inquiry questions which reflect what you would like to know about inquiry.
Choose one of these questions (perhaps the one you want to know about the most, or one that looks like it will provide the most rewarding search results) and analyse this question. Identify the key terms and phrases in the question. These will form the basis of your expert searching. A great strategy is to use a mindmap to generate synonyms and similar terms to broaden your search strategy.
If you choose to use this strategy, consider including the mindmap as part of your expert searching post; it will help readers understand your journey, and will demonstrate the entire process you have undertaken.
This 2 minute video is very simple, but it does a great job explaining the process of unpacking key concepts using the mindmap approach; and how cute is Hutch the library dog? 🙂
Writing your expert searching post
In your Expert Searching post you will need to: critically analyse your expert search strategies using a range of tools.
Please familiarise yourselves with expert searching strategies by reading through the Search Strategies page here.
We will be exploring these in the tutorials in Weeks Two and Three (see the schedule).
For your post, you need to include Google and Google Scholar, at least one library database (two are suggested below). Social Media is optional, but strongly encouraged :).
Find out more about each here:
- Searching Google and Google Scholar
- Searching A+ Education
- Searching ProQuest Education
- Searching social media
If you are new to the QUT Library interface, this video demonstrates how to locate the relevant education databases you will need to access.
You will demonstrate your understanding and use of advanced search strategies including:
- Boolean operators(sensible) Boolean operators (fun)
- double quotes and brackets
- truncation
- wildcard
- proximity operators
You will include in your post:
- Sample expert search strings
- Mind-maps of search terms showing relationships between terms
- Summaries of results from searches
- Brief analysis – what worked, what didn’t work, and why you think this is the case.
As you search, ask yourself:
- How does this source help me to extend my understanding of my inquiry question/s?
- How relevant is this source to my inquiry question/s?
- Is it useful in offering theories, concepts or practice-based examples?
- Is it particularly well-written and argued?
- Is it confirmation of other sources or does it offer an alternative perspective that should be considered?
You should also consider the above questions when choosing a minimum of 8-10 best sources for your curated collection,
(which is the next phase of the module).
This is a highly weighted post. It should be equivalent to 800 words. You are encouraged to use mindmaps/tables/multimedia to present your topic analysis and sample search strings.
You will be marked on:
- Your application and critical analysis of your search techniques and strategy, including your samples of accurate and precise search strings
- The quality of your critical reflection as seen in the inquiry questions you pose as you search
Here is an example of an excellent expert searching post. It demonstrates the search strategies used, analyses the results and is easy to read and well presented.
When you have completed your expert searching post, you will be ready to curate your 8 -10 best sources and to present these in your curated collection.
Click the image below to go to the next phase of the module.