Computer Law

Computer Law (Professor Chris Cotropia)

Spring 2014

 Ten Search Tips

1. Choose the most appropriate databases by reading the brief descriptions of their content.

You can also always stop by the library's Reference Desk for guidance about your database selection.

2. Quickly read any help files.

These files describe how to search most effectively within that particular database (especially helpful before jumping into an unfamiliar database).

This documentation is typically accessed from the “I” or “About” or “Help” or “User Guide” section of the database's website.

3. Use Terms & Connectors searching along with Segment or Field searching.

Only use Natural Language searching if you cannot think of any search terms for initiating your search.

4. Think about other aspects of your search concepts that are relevant.

For example, if you would like to find material on digital rights management, think about other concepts/phrases that also describe this area of law or are relevant to your search:

• DRM 
• circumvention and/or anti-circumvention
• password protection
• anti-copy software

5. Prepare a list of synonyms, broader and narrower terms, abbreviations, variants due to hyphenation and alternative ways of describing your subject in case your searches do not yield the results you expect.

This also ensures a more comprehensive search.

For example, alternates for "cyber trespass" might be cybertrespass or cyber-trespass

Or, alternatives for "virtual worlds" could also be online or digital worlds, virtual people or even Second Life or World of Warcraft

Note: If the database you are preparing to search is indexed using a controlled vocabulary (usually labeled as “subject headings”), then browse the database's thesaurus or index to help choose your search terms. These are the preferred terms consistently used by the indexers for this database. Usually, you will be directed to the preferred term via cross-references.

 6. Set limits for your search.

Examples of limits are:

• Published within a given date range
• Only peer reviewed journals
• Publication type (periodical, book, etc.)
• Document type (article, book review)

7. Refine your search terms using the most appropriate options.

• Add additional search terms, as well as AND, OR, NOT.
• Search for more or longer phrases, usually placing them in quotes.
• Check the database’s “Help” file to find out what the truncation symbol is for that database (usually an ! or an *) and use that symbol to retrieve words with variant endings simultaneously:
  • Infring! - will retrieve infringe, infringing, infringement.
  • Anonym! - will retrieve anonymity and anonymous.
  • Originat! – will retrieve originate, origination, originator.
  • Wildcard searching can retrieve words with variant spellings (symbol is often an ? or an *):
  • Organi?ation – will retrieve both organization and organisation
  • Use proximity operators particularly when searching full text.  Again, check the database’s “Help” file for the correct operator:
    • copyright ADJ infringement – directs that copyright must be ADJACENT to infringement in the text
    • Digital w/1 privacy – directs that digital must be WITHIN 1 word of privacy in the text
    • Net SAME neutrality – directs that net must be in the SAME sentence as neutrality

8. Perform Segment or Field searches to search only within an article: Abstract; Title; Author; Keyword

9. Browse an online index to determine the preferred term(s). 

If you are not seeing relevant results with your current search terms, most online indexes will direct you to the preferred term via cross-references.

For example, in some databases “internet service provider” might be the preferred term as opposed to “ISP.”

10. Stop when you get to the point of diminishing returns.

You can comfortably stop your research when you begin to find many of the same articles or other sources repeatedly in different databases.