Online search

Methodology for searching scientific materials and papers

Naoual
Messaadia
Naoual Messaadia
Lecturer at the Microbiology
and Biochemistry department
 Pedagogical Footprint
This content has been taught in various curricula and
programmes:
▸ Scientific English and bibliographic searching (Biochemistry
of bioactive molecules: Master’s 1 programme)
▸ Scientific paper analysis and communication in English
(Applied microbiology: Master’s 1 programme)
▸ Scientific English (Biochemisty: Bachelor’s Degree)
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Content

▸ Introduction
▸ Search objectives
▸ Keywords/ search terms
▸ Search engines and databases
▸ Search refinement
▸ Materials evaluation
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1. Introduction
Let’s start with the first set of slides
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Materials

Articles Books Data Grey lit.

(Monographs, (conferences
(Peer-reviewed (Maps,
Ebook, proceedings,
papers, graphs, dissertations,
reference
newspapers, equations, theses, reports,
books,
magazines,,...) chemical government
textbooks...)
reactions...) documents...)

Contents can be general/specialized, academic/ unacademic, peer-

reviewed or not, stable or not...
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Types of literature sources

Primary Secondary Tertiary

Publications of Evaluate, analyse, Compilation or

original works interpret, digestion of
not modified or generalise, widely accepted
yet used by other add to the facts from
authors: original source: primary and
Conference and Review papers secondary sources:
journal papers, theses, Textbooks, handbooks
Bibliographies ⋆
monographes dictionaries, abstracts
Encyclopedias ⋆

(⋆) also considered as tertiary sources

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2. Search objectives
Let’s start with the first set of slides
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Determination of the search objectives

▸ Exploration of existing scientific literature

▸ Understanding an answered questions
▸ Formulation of a research question
▸ Planning and execution of a research
▸ Preparation of scientific communications
▸ Collection of quantitative/qualitative information
▸ Verification of information
▸ Validation of a scientific work
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3. Keywords/ search terms

Let’s start with the first set of slides
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Keywords extraction and refinement

1. Extraction 2. Refinement
Translation of the search Removing ambiguity
intent into relevant and improving keywords
keywords efficiency
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Methodology of search

Main question Keywords set Main string

Context Subsets/strings

Refinement

Expansion
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Question formulation and Keywords sets

▸ Understanding the answered (fact/data) or the unanswered question

(gap).
▸ Formulation of the search main idea as a statement or as a question*.
▸ Extraction of keywords (first set of primary and secondary terms.
▸ Setting the main question in a context.
▸ Extraction of keywords for more specific sets of keywords, and so on.

(⋆) It is better to formulate the search in an intérrogative form.

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Short vs long tail

Search string can be long or

short depending on the
number and importance of
keywords: head, modifier, tail.

Keywords in short tail strings

are simple.

Keywords in long tail strings

are more specific and produce
results that are specific.
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Keywords refinement and search expansion

▸ Elimination of irrelevant keywords.

▸ Re-phrasing of keywords : synonyms, different spelling, acronyms…(modifier
and tail).
▸ Use of booleans operators, AND, OR, and NOT to include or exclude
information (narrow search/less results or large search/more results).
▸ Adjustment of the search string length.
▸ Construction of phrases and use of quotation marks.
▸ Reshuffling keywords to emphasise the most important terms (primary,
secondary).
▸ Expansion of the search based on the results (not one event).
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4. Engines and databases

Let’s start with the first set of slides
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● Online search requires different search skills and an

understanding of how search engines and online
databases work.
● Online engines and library databases have different tools
and advanced operators to assist and refine the search
query.
● The use of engines or databases depends on search
objectives, type of information and the level of reliability.

Engines and databases

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Search engines
Search engines, like Google, use computer algorithms to send out robots
(spiders) that explore and retrieve information available online.

Web pages content is indexed to much users search keywords rapidly.

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DO NOT CONFUSE BROWSERS AND SEARCH ENGINES

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Metasearch engines build their index on other indices.

They can be generalized or specialized.

Google, AllTheWeb,
Yahoo, MSN
Ask,
Live

Metasearch engines
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Databases
Databases, like ScienceDirect, don’t retrieve information, they build their index on
other indices.
They index documents, articles, journals, books written by experts and reviewed
by professionals.
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Databases are updated and reviewed regularly. They are

stable and credible.

They have search tools like search boxes, full-text access in

web and PDF formats, abstract and citation access, catalogs,
permalinks….

Databases
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● PubMed
Covers biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and
online books. Date range 1960+
● Scopus
Multidisciplinary sciences coverage. Incorporates the ScienceDirect e-
journals collection. Date range 1960 onwards.
● Web of Science
Multidisciplinary, high-impact journals in science, social science, and the
arts & humanities. Date range 1898 onward.
● BIOSIS Citation Index (Web of Science)
A citation database covering all major areas in the life sciences, with
broad coverage in molecular and cell biology, pharmacology,
endocrinology, genetics, neurosciences, infectious diseases, ecology
and organismal biology.

Examples of databases for biology and microbiology

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5. Search refinement
Let’s start with the first set of slides
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Refinement tools

❏ Collect information of previous queries from search history of different

browsers including language, localisation, censorship,...Thus, adjustment
of browsers allows:
▸Intent recognition
▸Reducing implied context (meaning)
▸Applied query constraints depends on boolean operators use
❏ Provide advanced search filters: advantages and restraints, and combine
them to the search
▸Matches the search with categorised information
❏ Provide predictive/ recommended/suggestive/auto-complete search.
▸Check regularly for reliability and eliminate scam and fake pages
❏ Defaut characteristic are adjusted to create or break bubbles.
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Advanced search
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Advanced search

Google advanced search

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Search on ScienceDirect
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Advanced search on ScienceDirect

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6. Materials evaluation
Let’s start with the first set of slides
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Not all materials and resources are
trustworthy and relevant.

Results must be evaluated before

being used in a research.
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Evaluation

Availability Stability Currency

● Open vs. restricted access ● Content may change or ● Importance of publication
(organisations, universities...) disappear (download portable date and up-to-date sources
● Free or paid access. copies/ copy web content) ● Leading edge techniques and
● Contents may change or updated contents.
disappear (web page, blogs).

Relevance Accuracy Credibility/Authority

Importance of the results ● Content reliability ● Academic vs. general content
regarding the question and the ● Spelling correctness ● Peer-reviewed publications
research ● Authority vs. anonymity
● Reputable institutions and
journals.