COMP 250 Library Instruction Name: _____________________________
Worksheet– From Ideas to (Re)Searching
Use this as a starting point for the strategy paragraph of the annotated bibliography.
Go to the library’s website at http://library.fortlewis.edu. Click on Find Articles, then
Databases by Subject. Use this list to identify two periodical databases you think would be
useful in locating information on your topic. Pay attention! Not all the resources on this
list are periodical databases. List the names of the databases below.
1) ____________________________ 2) _____________________________
Circle one of the databases listed above, then try out your search strategy in it.
1. Write down your search strategy as you entered it in the database: ____________
________________________________________________________________________
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2. How many results did you get? If you got a lot, how will you narrow your results?
If you got none or just a few, how would you broaden your results?________________
________________________________________________________________________________
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3. Do the results seem relevant? If not, how might you modify your search?
________________________________________________________________________
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4. Name at least one Subject Heading/ Descriptor relevant to your topic used in the
database.
_______________________________________________________________________
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5. Write a search statement using the terms that ended up being most effective (as
regards the number and type of results it generated). Is that statement very different
from the one you started with?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
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HINT: If you find good potential sources for your project, email them to yourself using the
MLA format! Then you won’t have to find them again later, and you’ll have a good start on your
bibliography.
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