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Before you begin conducting your search, you need to have a repository where you will save the found resources. If you have not already done so, set up your Zotero account using this getting started guide: https://info.library.okstate.edu/zotero

I have my Zotero account set up and I am ready to proceed. Yes No

Determining your Keywords

Generating a keyword list based on your research review question is a critical step. What some people refer to as one thing may not be recognized by others. Therefore, generating possible synonyms or alternate terms in a logic grid is next. For example, what I think of as “online learning” may also be referred to as “distance learning,” “online education,” “virtual learning,” “computer-based learning,” “distance education,” “internet courses,” etc. Carefully think through possible alternative terms for what you are searching for.

Keyword Logic Grid Activity

In the blank row below the PICO elements, first add your research review question terms from your completed PICO chart. Below each initial entry, brainstorm synonyms, variant forms of spelling, variations of words/terms, and plural/singular forms of terms. Ask a colleague or friend to help think of additional terms you may have missed.

Developing a Search String

A search string is a combination of keywords, truncation symbols, and Boolean operators you enter into the search box of a library database or search engine.

Boolean operators

• AND narrows a search by finding records that must contain all the terms you have entered. Using AND lets you be more precise by adding additional required concepts.
• OR broadens a search by finding records that contain either or all of the terms you have entered. Using OR makes your search wider by searching for similar or related terms.
• NOT narrows a search by finding records that contain one term but not another. Using NOT lets you be more precise by excluding certain terms.

Parentheses and Quotation Marks

• Parentheses form compound searches by giving you the ability to group similar or related terms together.
• Quotation Marks are used if you are searching for an exact phrase. By using quotation marks, your results will return only items that include those exact terms in that exact order.

Truncation (end or internal)

• Instead of typing in all the possible variations in spelling or endings of a word, most databases allow you to use truncation symbols, also called wildcards, to represent any letter. The most common truncation symbols are:
• * – the asterisk represents zero or more characters and is usually used at the end of a word.
• ? – the question mark represents one character and can be used at the end or in the middle of a word.

Creat* will retrieve create, creative, creativity, creator, etc.

Behavior*r will retrieve either behavior or behavior

Below is an example search string:

AB: (“transformative learning theory” OR “transformative learning”) AND AB: (educat*) AND AB: (technology)

Search String Development ActivityUse the space below to combine the initial terms and alternative keywords with Boolean operators to develop search strings to test out.

“rural population” AND “representation in young adult literature”

Search String Testing

In an analysis of systematic mapping guidelines, Petersen, Vakkalanka & Kuzniarz (2015) recommend searching two specialization databases and two indexing databases as best practice. For the purposes of this guide, we will use Scopus and Science Direct as our general databases and Academic Search Premier and Computers and Applied Sciences Complete as our specialized databases. Educational technology research is evident across many disciplines; therefore, our choice of databases must be as potentially relevant as possible.

Note: To select specialized databases for other topics, I recommend using Ulrich’s Web database. It indexes journals by topic, so if you search for “science education,” for example, you will see all journal that publish articles on that topic. Looking at the “Abstracting and Indexing” field for the top journals for that topic gives you an idea of which databases would be best to choose for your systematic mapping literature review.

Testing your search strings is a critical step requiring time, diligence and patience. Careful, consistent work at this stage will make subsequent tasks more efficient. The goal is to determine which string returns the most accurate results. “Having more papers is not necessarily better than having fewer, it depends on whether the papers are a good representation of the population” (Wohlin, et al., 2013). This requires an iterative process of trying many different combinations until you are satisfied you have determined which search string returns the most accurate results.

This video on Database Basics will be helpful to watch if you are specifically searching Oklahoma State University’s Edmon Low Library: https://library.okstate.edu/tutorials/help-me-find-sources/database-basics

Search String Testing Activity

Start with Scopus, since it indexes abstracts across the most general set of databases. Go immediately to the Advanced Search tool and use the Boolean operator tools provided to refine your search. Set your limiters to search Abstracts, Scholarly Journals, Articles, Peer-Reviewed, and do not limit the dates (we need the full picture). Search limiters should match your Inclusion list. Use the space below to record your search strings tried on the four databases and notes that will help you finalize the actual search string you will use for your study.

Final search string:

Once you feel like you have found accurate returns with your search string, it’s a good idea to have an expert in the field look over your search string and a list of your returned results to verify the accuracy.

Search Tracking Worksheet Activity

Search Strings and Returns by Database

Numbers for PRISMA Flow Diagram

Removed duplicates 80

Inclusion/Exclusion

# after title/abstract screen = 76 ex: “technologies of self”; conference proceedings paper that later was published as a journal article with a different title; live lecture as a technology

# articles retrieved =

# articles excluded after full-text screen =

# articles excluded during extraction =

# articles included =

Removed on full-text analysis:

Blewitt 2010 – explains a social learning consortium for sustainability education – TL only tangentially involved