Skip to Main Content Carnegie Mellon University Libraries

Chemistry

Search Strategy Steps

  1. 1. Start with a research question (How can materials in soft robotics become sustainable?)
  2. 2. Pull out the most important keywords (Materials, Soft Robotics, Sustainable)
  3. 3. Too many results? Make keywords more specific (Sustainable → Biodegradable)
  4. 4. Too few results? Make keywords more broad (Soft Robotics → Robotics)
  5. 5. Collect additional terms as you search

Boolean Operators

AND

  • Adds additional search terms to inform the database all search terms exist together in the results
  • Narrows the search results
  • Example: data AND cybersecurity

OR

  • Adds additional search terms to inform the database any of the search terms can exist in the results
  • Broadens the search results
  • Example: machine OR human

NOT

  • Excludes terms from the search
  • Narrows the search results
  • Example: animal NOT cat

Search Order: NOT then AND then OR

A Visual Example:

Boolean operators visual diagram showing AND, OR, and NOT with Venn diagrams

How to Read Academic Articles

  1. 1. Read the abstract, walk away: a summary of the article to let you decide if it's worth reading
  2. 2. Skim the article: Read the introduction and conclusion in full
  3. 3. Look for Bold or Underlined areas
  4. 4. Review visual pieces (Tables, charts, figures, photos, etc.)
  5. 5. Still interested? Maybe read from top to bottom
  6. 6. Follow citations when needed!