70 Searching is Art part 2 (Information Research)
Description
This article is from the Information Research FAQ, by David Novak david@spireproject.com with numerous contributions by others.
70 Searching is Art part 2 (Information Research)
A couple of side issues
1) Keep an eye on the type of document you are searching. If you want
full text - don't go looking in bibliography databases. More to the
point, don't start word searching databases with really big files
without using the proximity indicators and descriptive fields. I hated
paying for that 20-page document which included all the words I was
interested in - but on different pages.
2) Also, keep an eye on the quality of the documents you are
retrieving. I know a search of newspapers sounds impressive, but they
are rarely capable of explaining anything in depth and are notorious at
being advertorials. I try to keep newsprint for locating experts - not
for information. I have also been trapped by obscure magazines with
appealing articles, only to learn the magazine is one of a large number
of very basic business magazines which use fillers or just doesn't like
to pay for good journalism. A single article of 5 pages from Scientific
American blows 20 small fillers out of the water. In fact the length of
an article is a hint of depth.
Oh, if you are looking for some really good books on this issue, try
the manuals Dialog sends you to start, look for text databases in you
library, then proceed to one of the search books recommended at the end
of our 'research as a discipline' article.
Basic Techniques to research change slowly, though the technology is
improving and specific information resources are in rapid flux. It
makes for interesting times.
So many resources. So many techniques. Its strange to have written down
so very much that is dull and tiring yet get it right. You simply must
muddle through all those links to get a decent result.
Yet the end result is to portray searching as an intensely dull
experience. We have very few choices. The information exists in certain
clearly marked places. We merely need collect it.
If we are not careful we will present you the idea that searching is
more like shopping in a supermarket. The goods are in a large store but
there is a decent enough structure to find it. Third aisle for baby
food. Go there and look around.
Actually, this is the general approach to searching. There is no art,
no talent, just skill and knowledge of the technology. Want a webpage
on dogs - go to Yahoo and type in dogs. Want a telephone number - take
out the white pages and remember the alphabet. Want a book and you are
near the library, walk in and ask a librarian. Alternatively, walk in
and type a few words in the library book database.
But there is more - so very much more. And all of this makes for
exceptional searching.
Let's look at an example. We want information on how to improve the
schooling of your exceptionally gifted child. A simple request. What do
we do?
The art is a kind of magic, of choosing just the right words at the
right times, and in phrasing your request for information in a way that
tightly describes your interest without removing information that
should interest you. The art of searching relies heavily on an
understanding of what is possible within a given system. Much of this,
you guessed it, involves creative visualizing.
Continue to:
My Books
