Literature searching
Literature searching (or document searching, document retrieval), whether manual or automated, is often considered a special case of information searching/seeking (while the term "information retrieval" is mostly used about automated forms of document retrieval).
Literature searching is performed by researchers, by student writing independent papers and by people seriously engaged in a question or a topic. Courses are often provided for students (cf., user education). Although literature searching is an essential part of any research project, has methodological principles on how to do a literature search been hard to develop. The issue is seldom discussed, for example, in books about research methods.
Hjørland (1986, 1988) discuss a case study in literature searching and the methodical problems involved.
In the teaching of writing is Bazerman (1994) an example of a text devoted to this issue.
Sometimes is a distinction made between retrospective literature searches (being searches for literature published and indexed before the time of searching) and "current awareness" or selective dissemination of information (SDI), (being searches at regular intervals for literature indexed after the search is initiated). This distinction was especially important in the childhood of computer-based searching. At that time was access to database more difficult what searchers had less spontaneity in their search behavior. The distinction may still be relevant but searchers have today much better possibilities to repeat, expand and vary searches retrospective searches, why the distinction is less marked.
The most specific and methodic literature on literature searching is developed in relation to meta-analysis (see, for example, Cooper,1985 and Weller, 2004). This approach to literature searching may however be considered related to the positivist/empiricist philosophy and criticized on this ground.
Sillince (1992) argues that the current method of information retrieval used for bibliographic and full-text databases of journal articles assumes a semantic representation together with stemming, Boolean connectives and so on. This requires searchers to have a well-defined idea of what it is that they are searching for. This is unhelpful for many categories of searcher, in particular expert browsers and non-expert searchers. An alternative method is suggested, based on the idea that articles advance an argument and that this argumentation can be represented in a manner which enables flexible and robust searching to be carried out.
Literature:
Bazerman, C. (1994). The Informed Writer: Using Sources in the Disciplines. 5th edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cooper, H. (1985). Literature searching strategies of integrative research reviewers. American Psychologist, 40, 1267-1269.
Fink, A. (2004). Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the Internet to Paper. 2nd ed. London: Sage Publications Ltd.
Garfield, E. (1976). Certified literature searches can help keep scientists honest. Current Contents, N10, 5-6. (Editorial). http://www.garfield.library.upenn.edu/essays/v2p436y1974-76.pdf
Gash, S. (1999). Effective Literature Searching for Research. 2nd ed. Aldershot: Gower Publishing Company.
Hart, C. (2001). Doing a Literature Search: A Comprehensive Guide for the Social Sciences. London: Sage Publications Ltd.
Hjørland, B. (1986). Litteratursøgning i forskning. SAML. Skrifter om Anvendt og Matematisk Lingvistik, 12, 79-102. Click for full-text PDF (For translation to English see Hjørland, 1988).
Hjørland, B. (1988). Information Retrieval in Psychology. Behavioral and Social Sciences Librarian, Vol 6 (3/4), 1988, 39-64. Click for full-text.PDF (English translation of Hjørland, 1986).
Lau, B. & Risager, K. (1980). Nogle litteratursøgningsproblemer: Analyse af et projekt. Skrifter om Anvendt og Matematisk Lingvistik, (SAML), 6, 55-69.
Mason, M. K. (2006). Literature searching. Note: This is appropriate for library school students. http://www.moyak.com/researcher/resume/papers/reference.html
Preuss, B. (1992). Konventionelle Literatursuche oder Online? Literaturrecherche in den Datenbanken PSYNDEX und PsycINFO? Psychologische Rundschau, 43, 102-107.
Routio, P. (2002). Finding Information in Texts IN: Arteology or the Science of Artefacts. By Pentti Routio, University of Art and Design Helsinki. January 28, 2002. Original location: http://www.uiah.fi/projects/metodi http://www.uiah.fi/projects/metodi/140.htm
Sillince, J. A. A. (1992). Literature searching with unclear objectives: A new approach using argumentation. Online Review, 16(6), 391-410.
Weller, A. C. (2004) Mounting evidence that librarians are essential for comprehensive literature searches for meta-analyses and Cochrane reports. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 92(2), 163-164. (Editorial).
See also: Bibliographic guide; Information literacy; Information retrieval;
Information searching/seeking; User education
Birger Hjørland
Last edited: 24-10-2006