FQAS: Teaching Methods Research and Curated Readings

• Search using keywords and subject terms, not complete sentences or questions.

For example: [summative assessment] is much better than [how I know what my students have learned]

• Combine concepts with AND to search for multiple concepts simultaneously

For example: [curriculum AND assessment]

• Use the asterisk wildcard character* to include alternate forms and plurals.

For example: [assess*] will return hits for assess, assessment, assessments, assessing, assesses, etc. all in a single search

• Use "quotation marks" around your search to keep terms together and search them as a single unit.

For example: ["performance-based learning"]

• Make use of handy database tools to find and save information about your resources. (In the image below, I've annotated the options as they appear in the EBSCO databases).
  • Use the database options to Download, Save, and/or Email each article, per your preference.
  • If you're saving links, be sure to save the permanent link, NOT the session URL in your browser.
  • Snag the citation for each article and paste it in your working bibliography. Doing it on the front side is such a time saver (trust me on this one). Look for a button that says "cite" or "citation."

• Vary your searches and try out a variety of related search terms. Don't get tunnel vision and unintentionally limit or bias your results. 
• Please, please, please reach out to me if you get stuck, you aren't finding what you need, or you just want to talk through your research with someone. 

In addition to searching using education databases, it's often a good idea to do some quick searching on the open web just to get a sense of what's there. This will retrieve results that are intended for consumption by the general public (as opposed to exclusively academics). 

Additionally, Google searching is familiar and may feel more comfortable than searching in library databases. The downside is that there will be much more irrelevant, unvetted content that gets retrieved. There is also a lot of content stuck behind paywalls, which can be frustrating. 

Here are a few reminders and tips for searching effectively and efficiently:

• Focus your search on they key issues of your research topic or question. Use nouns, not full sentences.  
• Critically examine and evaluate the results list and any web pages you visit. What is the source of the information? What is its credibility?
• Try using Google Scholar (https://scholar.google.com/) to search for research articles. Save yourself time and frustration later by skimming the results list for options with full text available. Full text options will appear linked in the right column, circled in the screenshot below.