FOR MY FIRST DATABASE
1. Which database did you choose for your first search?
I choose the Directory of Open Access Journals.
2. What terms did you enter to conduct your search?
I first entered the search terms, “Geological cycles” with no results. I then tried to make my topic smaller with, “Hydrolic cycle” which also gave me no results. I then decided to choose a smaller cycle, “carbon cycle.”
3. How many results did you retrieve?
When I entered the terms, “Carbon cycle,” I retrieved three results.
4. If there were more than about 100 results, how did you refine your search terms to narrow your results?
I only had three results so this step wasn’t necessary.
5. Once you got your results to around 100 (or fewer), how did you determine they were meaningful?
I determined my results were meaningful because I looked at the keywords which were relevant to what I was looking for to begin with. I was looking for how the carbon cycle affects different things and some of the keywords were “global carbon cycle, climate, and atmospheric carbon dioxide.
6. Which article did you choose? Give the bibliographic information for that article.
From the topic “Carbon Balance and Management,” I then choose the article “Climatic regions as an indicator of forest coarse and fine woody debris carbon stocks in the United States.”
Author: Christopher W. Woodall and Greg C. Liknes
Published: June 9, 2008
Publisher: BioMed Central Ltd.
Volume: 3
7. How did you determine this article was meaningful?
I determined this article was meaningful because it included how carbon is affecting the forest which is part of the carbon cycle itself being that trees (forests) intake carbon dioxide and output oxygen.
FOR MY SEARCH IN ACADEMIC SEARCH PREMIER
1. What terms did you enter to conduct your search?
I entered the terms “carbon and cycle.”
2. How many results did you retrieve?
I retrieved 1801 results.
3. If there were more than about 100 results, how did you refine your search terms to narrow your results?
I narrowed my results by entering ‘carbon’ on one line and then ‘forest change’ in another under the “subject terms” search.
4. What differences did you note in how you needed to manipulate your search terms in this different database?
I noticed that you have to concentrate on one word as your main topic, and then choose another term or terms to focus on one area. I choose my main word as “carbon” and my other search terms to focus on that area as “forest change.”
5. Once you got your results to around 100, how did you determine they were meaningful?
I determined my results were meaningful because the information was related to my topic.
6. Which article did you choose? Give the bibliographic information for that article.
I choose the article, “Forests of the past: A window of future changes.”
Author: Petit, Remy J.
Feng Sheng Hu.
Dick, Christopher W.
Document type: article
ISSN: 00368075
Database: Academic Search Premier
Source: Science; 6/13/2008. vol. 320 Issue 5882, p.1450-1452 3p, 1 graph, 1 color.
7. How did you determine this article was meaningful?
I determined this article was meaningful because it told of how carbon in the environment has affected the forest changes and that was relevant to what I was looking for and it matched my search terms.
1. Which database did you choose for your first search?
I choose the Directory of Open Access Journals.
2. What terms did you enter to conduct your search?
I first entered the search terms, “Geological cycles” with no results. I then tried to make my topic smaller with, “Hydrolic cycle” which also gave me no results. I then decided to choose a smaller cycle, “carbon cycle.”
3. How many results did you retrieve?
When I entered the terms, “Carbon cycle,” I retrieved three results.
4. If there were more than about 100 results, how did you refine your search terms to narrow your results?
I only had three results so this step wasn’t necessary.
5. Once you got your results to around 100 (or fewer), how did you determine they were meaningful?
I determined my results were meaningful because I looked at the keywords which were relevant to what I was looking for to begin with. I was looking for how the carbon cycle affects different things and some of the keywords were “global carbon cycle, climate, and atmospheric carbon dioxide.
6. Which article did you choose? Give the bibliographic information for that article.
From the topic “Carbon Balance and Management,” I then choose the article “Climatic regions as an indicator of forest coarse and fine woody debris carbon stocks in the United States.”
Author: Christopher W. Woodall and Greg C. Liknes
Published: June 9, 2008
Publisher: BioMed Central Ltd.
Volume: 3
7. How did you determine this article was meaningful?
I determined this article was meaningful because it included how carbon is affecting the forest which is part of the carbon cycle itself being that trees (forests) intake carbon dioxide and output oxygen.
FOR MY SEARCH IN ACADEMIC SEARCH PREMIER
1. What terms did you enter to conduct your search?
I entered the terms “carbon and cycle.”
2. How many results did you retrieve?
I retrieved 1801 results.
3. If there were more than about 100 results, how did you refine your search terms to narrow your results?
I narrowed my results by entering ‘carbon’ on one line and then ‘forest change’ in another under the “subject terms” search.
4. What differences did you note in how you needed to manipulate your search terms in this different database?
I noticed that you have to concentrate on one word as your main topic, and then choose another term or terms to focus on one area. I choose my main word as “carbon” and my other search terms to focus on that area as “forest change.”
5. Once you got your results to around 100, how did you determine they were meaningful?
I determined my results were meaningful because the information was related to my topic.
6. Which article did you choose? Give the bibliographic information for that article.
I choose the article, “Forests of the past: A window of future changes.”
Author: Petit, Remy J.
Feng Sheng Hu.
Dick, Christopher W.
Document type: article
ISSN: 00368075
Database: Academic Search Premier
Source: Science; 6/13/2008. vol. 320 Issue 5882, p.1450-1452 3p, 1 graph, 1 color.
7. How did you determine this article was meaningful?
I determined this article was meaningful because it told of how carbon in the environment has affected the forest changes and that was relevant to what I was looking for and it matched my search terms.
You wrote: I noticed that you have to concentrate on one word as your main topic, and then choose another term or terms to focus on one area. I choose my main word as “carbon” and my other search terms to focus on that area as “forest change.”
ReplyDeleteThis is an important concept.
As for your entries, you clearly know how to search and refine a search, which is great. In terms of evaluation, remember C.A.R.D.I.O. from earlier this quarter? Relevance is an important criterion, but not the only one. Authority and other elements are also a consideration.