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Literature search strategy

Published 22nd April 2024 by Gillian

Literature search strategy

So, I’ve written about how to plan your search, now I’m going to tell you about how my search is going. In my previous blogpost I highlighted three basic elements to a literature search strategy:

  1. Plan your search,
  2. Search,
  3. Review and adapt your search.
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Plan your search:

First, the plan. I’ve explored the keywords I want to use. There are going to be a variety and it’s going to change as I come across different ideas and thoughts in the project, but here they are:

Keyword table:

Photovoice “International students” “Higher Education” UK
“Participatory photography” “Foreign students” University “United Kingdom”
“Photo elicitation” undergraduate College England
“Photo novella” postgraduate Tertiary education “Great Britain”
masters “Northern Ireland”
“British Isles”
Wales
Scotland
GB

 

My focus is photovoice, so you can see how I’ve tried to prioritise the different related terms and synonyms. The other elements of the keyword table can be added into the search or used separately. You can view the keyword table with the first column as my research focus, and the other three columns providing context. The UK context isn’t essential to my research, but it is helpful if I need to focus my search or relate the student experience to the UK educational environment, not all universities around the world teach in the same way.

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

I’ve also been searching separately in relation to research methods, as I plan the project, and looking ahead to writing up the project, thinking about the justifications and evidence for the decisions I’ve made. Below are some additional keywords I’ve been using and am considering using:

  • Visual research methods,
  • Visual research,
  • Qualitative research AND sample
  • Self-identification
  • Samples / sampling
  • Participant AND identity
  • Qualitative research methods

Searching:

So far I’ve searched in a few different places. I’ve used broader search terms like “visual research methods” or “qualitative research” when looking for books on the catalogue (NELSON). When searching the databases, I’ve been using the below search string. I’ve tried to focus my search in abstract or keywords, but not all databases have the same functionality.

photovoice OR “participatory photography” OR “photo elicitation” OR “photo novella”

The search terms aren’t interchangeable, but they should pick up related literature that could help me understand the recruitment and facilitation of the research. Below are the databases I have searched and will search.

  • JSTOR
  • British Education Index.
  • Education Research Complete.
  • Educational Administration Abstracts.
  • ERIC
  • Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts.

Still to do: SAGE, Web of Science, Wiley.

Photo by Philipp Mandler on Unsplash

Review and adapt your search:

This is really key, taking the time to look at the results you have and adapt your search based on what you get. I’ve noticed doing a general search just in relation to photovoice, has been fruitful. However, thinking about how to focus the search so I’ve got a manageable number to review is difficult. I don’t necessarily need to focus on peer-reviewed or published literature, but sometimes those filters (alongside date ranges) help to get manageable chunks of literature to review. I know I have to go back to the education databases to search more broadly around international students, also including a focus on transition and masters education, which aren’t currently featured in my keywords list.

I’m reviewing what I’ve done, reflecting on what worked (and didn’t) and identifying what and where I need to search next. Therefore, I’m making progress but there are more keywords to explore, more searches to do, and more literature to read!

Lessons learnt:

  • Don’t underestimate the plan – it gives you a framework to follow.
  • Do it in chunks, taking time to stop and review what you’ve done means you can take the next steps proactively rather than feeling overwhelmed.
  • As you read make a note of anything you need to find out more about and add it to your search.
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What do you mean – information literacy?

Published 26th February 2024 by Gillian

What do you mean – information literacy?Lightbulbs leading the way down a corridor of bookshelves

Many professions use specialist language to describe key areas of their work. This specialist language or vocabulary helps with professional shorthand, it is useful in transferring information in succinct ways. Different professions use a variety of language, sometimes it may make sense to outsiders, but often has to be ‘translated’ as taken out of context it can be very confusing. Information literacy – is just such a term, coined and used within library and information science. As with many areas, my views are developing and changing with time, experience and reading. I’ve included some references at the end of this post to articles I’ve read and that are making me think differently about information literacy practice.

Photo by Brendan Church on Unsplash

Information literacy is widely used in the library and information sector. Based on the principles of information seeking behaviour, discussed in the 1980s (Wilson, 1981; Kuhlthau, 1986). Information literacy loosely encapsulates the process individuals go through to find information; from identifying an information need, searching, and identifying the relevant information and then using it within their work or context. The terminology itself is not without debate – the use of ‘literacy’ can be viewed as classing those with little or limited skills as illiterate. There’s also the debate about how we ‘class’ it, as we explore and understand the process that moves information literacy from a static set of skills to an evolving and transitioning practice that is context specific.

Within UK Higher Education – information literacy is the focus of research and debate amongst academic librarians or subject librarians as they seek to develop the most effective ways of supporting their users to develop their information literacy practice and transfer their skills into their future work. Models and definitions of information literacy have been created by a number of different organisations (here are a few, but this is not an exhaustive list):

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Various researchers have explored the use of these models and definitions. Today, however, there is a growing appreciation that these English-language models and tools are focused on a Western experience and doesn’t reflect the wealth and breadth of information literacy practice across the world. Organisations have sought to update and adapt these models and frameworks based on growing technological changes (looking at media, digital and visual literacy), as well as growing interest in holistic and community knowledge creation (Hicks and Lloyd, 2016; Roberts, 2021). I might argue that key to information literacy practice are the critical skills to question the information, data or knowledge presented, compare with other sources, and synthesise into relevant knowledge for the context it’s needed in.

From my point of view as an academic librarian, information literacy theory and models are useful to understand the fundamental principles of information seeking behaviour. However, I recognise that the students I work with have a range of knowledge, skills and expertise from their lives that I need to support them to translate into our specific academic context. Someone can have excellent skills and abilities to find bargains, learn about their football team or study elsewhere, but coming into the sometimes-traditional landscape of academia and trying to find information for assessment can be a very different experience. I believe it is important to work with the student, to build from their experience and help them transition to using the databases we rely on for academic information. In an age of Google, misinformation, and information overload, it is perhaps even more important that we discuss these skills and principles of information literacy practice to help our community find truth and build their knowledge of the world around them. I agree with the idea that information is constructed within a social setting, we’re influenced by the people around us. Sometimes it’s even more difficult to challenge those we respect, with differing views. However, if we can navigate, find and understand the information it is easier to enter into discussions and work with people to explore the ideas and information around us.

Photo by Javier Allegue Barros on Unsplash

Lessons learnt:

• It’s library specific language, that isn’t widely understood outside the sector.
• Information literacy is context specific and a reflection of the whole person and the environment and community they exist within.

Useful links:

Information Literacy Group: definitions and models

References:

Hicks, A., & Lloyd, A. (2016). It takes a community to build a framework: Information literacy within intercultural settings. Journal of Information Science, 42(3), 334–343. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165551516630219

Kuhlthau, C. C. (1986). Inside the Search Process: Information Seeking from the User’s Perspective. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 42, 361–371.

Reyes, B. M., Hicks, A., & Maxson, B. K. (2018). Information Literacy Practices of Spanish-Speaking Graduate Students at the University of Kansas, Portal, 18(3), 595–615.

Roberts, L. (2021). “This Is Just What We Do”: PhD Students on Becoming Scholars in a Community of Practice. Communications in Information Literacy, 15(1), 75–94. https://doi.org/10.15760/comminfolit.2021.15.1.4

Wilson, T. D. (1981). On user studies and information needs. Journal of Documentation, 37(1), 3–15. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb026702

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