Segment 1: Devise Search Strategy
Overview: In this segment, you will transform a research question into a search strategy in order to find
journal articles in a database.
The research question you will work with today is: “How is motor skill development delayed in
children with autism?”
Step 1: Identify keywords from the research question, and brainstorm synonyms for those keywords.
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Example: For the research question “How do different coaching styles affect motivation of high
school athletes?” your table of keywords and synonyms might look like this:
Keyword
Synonym 1
Synonym 2
Synonym 3
coaching
drilling
physical education
training
motivation
drive
extrinsic motivation
effort
high school
teenaged
young adult
amateur
football player
athlete
sports player
teammate
(you may decide you
want to look at one
particular sport)
Use the table below to create your own list of keywords and synonyms for the research question “How
is motor skill development delayed in autistic children?” Synonyms can also be broader or narrower
terms (i.e. “football player” is a narrower term than “athlete”).
Keyword
Synonym 1
Synonym 2
Step 2: Use your keywords and synonyms to build a search strategy.
**Tips**
Synonym 3
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Use AND, OR, and NOT (also known as “Boolean Operators”) to link your concepts
Use an asterisk (*) to cut off words if you want to search for all words with that root. For
example, “develop*” would search for develop, developing, developed, development,
developmental, etc.
Put quotes around a phrase that you want the database to search as a phrase, rather than as
individual words.
Example: using the example keywords/synonyms table above, one search strategy might be:
○ coach* AND motivation AND athlete AND (“high school” OR teen*)
Use this space to record your search strategy:
Leave this document open for the next group!
Segment 2: Test and Revise Search Strategy
Overview: In this segment, you will enter the previous team’s search strategy into a database and
evaluate the search results. Then you will revise the search strategy to get better results.
Step 1: From the course guide, open the database called ProQuest. In ProQuest, click on the link for
Advanced Search.
Step 2: Scroll up to see the search strategy the previous group constructed. Enter their search strategy
in the advanced search window and click “Search.”
Step 3: Take a moment to scroll through the search results and evaluate their quality and relevance. Think
about the following things:
● How many results are there? In your opinion, is this too many, too few, or just right?
● How many of the results relate to the research question? Only a few? About half? Most?
● Do most of the results leave out some part of the research question? For example, are the
results about motor skill development in children, not specifically autistic children?
Use the box below to record your evaluation of the search results. Bullet points are fine.
Step 4: Make a few changes to the previous group’s search strategy that you think will lead to improved
results.
Use this space to record your revised search strategy:
Step 5: Go back to the advanced search page and enter your revised search strategy. Re-evaluate the
list of results. Are they better than last time? Worse? How so?
Use the box below to record your evaluation of the new search results. Bullet points are fine.
Leave this document open for the next group!
Segment 3: Source Selection
Overview: In this segment, you will choose one useful looking article from the previous team's search
results, obtain a copy of it, and then evaluate its relevance.
Step 1: Take a minute or two to look over the previous team’s search results. As a group, select one
journal article you think is very relevant to the research question.
Step 2: How can you get to the full text of this article? Link to full text right in database or using
HuskyFetch? If using HuskyFetch, can you find it online, in print, or through InterLibrary Loan?
Step 3: Write the citation for the article in the box below, in APA format
APA format: Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal, volume
number(issue number), pages.
Step 4: Summarize the article in 2-3 sentences:
Step 5: Say why you think this article is relevant to the research question. Bullet points are fine