Searching and collecting thoughts
As I participated in last week’s class about collecting and searching, I realized that I am somewhat haphazard about database searches when beginning a project. This is pretty unusual given my personal penchant for organization. However, thinking about research for my own projects, the approach is generally not as refined as it could (or probably should) be. I tend to simply select a promising database and begin entering what I consider relevant search terms. I rarely use wild card or Boolean searches and I generally do not think about entering alternative phrases (like the example of shell shock and battle fatigue) until I receive limited results on my initial inquiries. In contrast, other aspects of my research is more structured. For instance, if I find something useful in searching, I access the relevant article, review it for content, and possibly use the citations and sources to locate other potential materials. I never really reflected on my database searching approach before and it is surprising to me. While my method may be more creative and open minded, it is not necessarily effective. I got particularly frustrated with the initial research phase of a project last semester and this scattershot approach is the likely culprit.