MIT 144F: Week9
Accessing Periodicals: Suggestions from the Hawkins and Waters (1982) Article

From this article make sure that you understand both the list of reminders and the four search strageties.

Hawkins' and Water's List of Reminders

  1. Be flexible
  2. Know your user (thyself)
  3. Don't be too restrictive
  4. Search most specific first
  5. Use thesauri
  6. Conceptualize
  7. Be aware of codes
  8. Use full text operators
  9. Truncate
  10. Be careful with NOT
  11. Alter the strategy to fit the database
  12. Watch for acronyms
  13. BROWSE

Some search strategies to consider

  1. Building blocks
  2. Successive fractions
  3. Citation pearl growing
  4. Most specific of least posted facet first


Page creator: J. Stephen Downie
Page created: 3 November 1997
Page updated: 4 November 1997