Читать книгу How to Write Brilliant Psychology Essays - Paul Dickerson - Страница 66

Databases: Google Scholar, Psych Info, PsychArticles, ejournals finder, Web of Science

Initial search term: ‘Elaboration Likelihood Model’

Variations: Olivia uses multiple search terms. For example, an initial PsychArticles search ‘Elaboration Likelihood Model of persuasion’ yielded just six results; removing ‘persuasion’ increased this to 24. Olivia’s search terms included: ‘Elaboration Likelihood Model of persuasion’, ‘Elaboration Likelihood Model’, ‘ELM’, ‘Criticisms of the ELM’, ‘methodological criticisms of the Elaboration Likelihood Model’.

Parameters: Olivia varied the date parameters in some searches to highlight recent developments. Some of the databases offered a wide range of parameters that could be controlled, allowing particular journals and authors to be used as well as control about where the search terms occur (for example, in the title, abstract or body of the article).

Follow-on strategy: Initial searches revealed the term ‘conceptual criticisms’ which informed further searches, names were identified as authoring evaluative articles and these were used in follow up searches. Attention was also paid to journal titles that contained relevant papers and these informed subsequent searches. It was initially difficult to identify more radical critiques of the ELM so other databases were used and search terms that included reference to discursive psychology and rhetoric (both of which provide a radical critique of classic approaches to persuasion) were used.

Selection of articles: The essay title was inspected again and an initial structure was identified.

Verdict on Olivia’s search strategy: Olivia has been proactive and flexible in her search. For Olivia, thinking about the essay title and how she will address it has already started, rather than being deferred until after she has her resources in front of her. This proactive investigative search strategy has meant that Olivia is locating resources that not only are relevant to the essay title, but also enable her to develop a critically evaluative essay as she has specifically identified articles that will support this. Her intelligent use of different search terms to support the arguments that she wishes to develop enables her essay to sparkle with the quality of on-target excellence and critical thinking that is associated with sophisticated scholarship. Using different databases enables Olivia to access full-text articles, but this does not necessarily mean that she reads the full text of every one of these articles. Again purposively, Olivia can locate just the most useful and relevant information within them to most effectively develop her essay.

Table 2.5

Learn Tops tips for source searching satisfaction

 Consult the information professionals at your institution’s library (and online guidance). Databases and access to full-text sources (and how these two are integrated) vary quite a lot, so get on-the-spot advice to become a super-searcher.

 Vary your search terms and your search parameters. Be like a really brilliant detective – think Sherlock Holmes, rather than inspector LeStrade. Try different angles to really get at the best information available.

 Diversify your use of databases. It is so easy to get locked into one easy-access database – especially as it is likely that the database is very useful. But just think how easy it is to supplement that database with another tool. Just a few additional minutes might make a crucial difference, giving you more access to full-text articles, or more control over your search parameters or access to references that you would otherwise miss.

 Be proactive not reactive. You are shaping your essay – what information do you need to make your essay excellent? Be purposeful: ‘I am looking for something that will help me evaluate x’ is better than simply typing in either the essay title or the general topic area. Don’t wait to be ‘told the answer’ by the sources you find – interrogate them to discover information, ideas and perspectives that you can use in developing your scholarly essay.