5 Tips on How to Develop a Search Strategy

5 Tips on How to Develop a Search Strategy 5 Tips on How to Develop a Search Strategy In academic writing, a â€Å"search strategy† refers to the methods used to find sources. You’ll often have to document your search strategy in the methodology section of a thesis or dissertation. But how do you develop a good search strategy? It depends on what you’re researching, but these five tips are a great starting point. 1. Selecting Databases Your college library should offer access to various academic databases. But not all of these will be relevant to your work (e.g., if you’re studying medicine, you probably won’t need the American Meteorological Society’s Meteorological Geoastrophysical Abstracts database). Unless you take under the weather literally. Consequently, you should either select the most relevant databases via your library’s search engine or access individual databases online. You should also make sure to list the databases used when you write up your search strategy. 2. Search Terms Next, you’ll need to select relevant search terms. Some of these should be obvious based on your research topic (e.g., if you’re writing about mummification in ancient Egypt, you’ll definitely want to search for â€Å"mummification† and â€Å"Egypt†). Well preserved.(Photo: dada/wikimedia) For others, though, you may need to brainstorm related terms. One option is looking at a few papers related to your topic and seeing which keywords they use in their abstracts. 3. Wildcards and Truncation You can increase the number of results you get from a search using â€Å"wildcards† and â€Å"truncation†: Wildcards are symbols used to find alternative spellings of the same term. If a wildcard is represented by a â€Å"!† symbol, for instance, you could search for â€Å"Ram!ses† to find variant spellings of the name (e.g., Ramses, Rameses, Ramesses). Truncations allow you to search for various endings to the same term. So if a truncation is represented by a â€Å"*,† you could search for â€Å"Egypt*† to bring up results that include â€Å"Egyptology† and â€Å"Egyptian.† The symbols for these may depend on the database, so remember to check the â€Å"help† section when using a new database to find out how to use wildcards and truncation. 4. Using Boolean Operators Another way of customizing search results is to use Boolean operators. The three main terms you’ll need here are â€Å"AND,† â€Å"OR,† and â€Å"NOT.† The â€Å"AND† operator allows you to search for papers that contain more than one search term (e.g., â€Å"mummification AND Ancient Egypt†). The â€Å"OR† operator, meanwhile, will return results that feature either of the search terms mentioned (e.g., â€Å"mummification or burial rites†). Or Mummies AND Cats.(Photo: Mario Snchez/wikimedia) â€Å"NOT† lets you exclude certain results from a search. For instance, if you only wanted to find results about ancient Egyptian mummies, you could search for â€Å"mummification NOT bog bodies† to exclude European mummies found in peat bogs.   5. Limiting Searches You can also control searches using limiting conditions. These are the options that allow you to filter certain results for relevance. Common filters include language (e.g., searching only for papers published in English) and date of publication (e.g., searching only for papers published after 2005). The limiters available may depend on the database, but they can be useful if a term returns too many results.

How to Become a Cytotechnologist

How to Become a Cytotechnologist If you’re less interested in seeing the world through rose-colored glasses than through a microscope, cytotechnology might be the right career path for you. Cytotechnologists analyze cells taken from patients (for example, lungs and reproductive organs) to check for abnormalities or disease. Cytotechnologists can play a crucial role in the early detection and treatment of illnesses like cancer. The Day-to-DayCytotechnologists are part of the behind-the-scenes healthcare team. They take cell specimens collected by other technicians, analyze the cells, and pass their reports on to a pathologist, who makes a final determination and diagnosis. The cytotechnologist provides essential information that can make all the difference for finding and treating diseases early. And as tests and equipment get more advanced and can screen areas of the body that were previously inaccessible, the cytotechnologists are an essential link to connecting that information hiding in the body to a concr ete diagnosis and treatment plan.Cytotechnologists typically work in hospitals or medical laboratory settings, though they might also go into private industry and work as part of a commercial research lab. Because of the collaborative nature of testing and extrapolating test results into diagnoses, cytotechnologists usually work hand-in-hand with pathologists and their teams. Cytotechnologists work fairly standard full-time work weeks, but may find themselves on call on weekends or evenings depending on their employers’ needs. (For example, cytotechnologists working in a hospital may need to work shifts due to the round-the-clock nature of patient care.)For more on what it’s like to be a cytotechnologist, check out these videos:SOMC Odd Jobs – CytotechnologistUNMC Cytotechnology TestimonialThe RequirementsBecoming a cytotechnologist requires a pretty significant educational commitment. Cytotechnologists have a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree (usually with a focus on undergrad science and math coursework like chemistry, anatomy, physiology, statistics, and biology) with an additional certificate from an accredited cytotechnology program. Postgrad cytotechnology programs typically last a year, and include clinical training. In addition to the education and training, cytotechnologists may also need to be certified. Be sure to check your state’s requirements on certification.The PayCytotechnologists bring a lot of technical training and expertise to the table, so the compensation reflects that. Cytotechnologists earn a median salary between $61,235 and $71,261 per year (depending on experience and seniority).The OutlookAs medical issues like cancer and type II diabetes affect more of the population, medical professionals who work in the diagnostic arena, like cytotechnologists, are expected to be in greater demand. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistis predicts that the cytotechnology field will grow by more than 16% by the year 202 4.Interested? APPLY HERE