Documenting the search process
Documenting your search process helps you remember which search terms you have already tried so you won't repeat the same search, or in case you want to recreate the search to continued work. Many databases allow you to create an account to save searches and results, if this is not possible, useful documentation is:
- Name of database
- Date when search was performed
- Which search terms you used
- How you combined the search terms
Create database account – save searches and articles
Create an account
Click "Create My Research Account" and then complete the registration. The database account is free of charge.
Save articles
Check the box to the left of each reference. Choose "Save to my research".
You can also mail the article, click the envelope in the same menu.
Save your search
- Click "Save search/alert"
- Create a name and click "Save"
- The searh is saved on your account, click on the symbol below:
Evaluating sources
To help you decide if a source is relevant and trustworthy you can ask yourself the following questions:
- Who is the author? Is the author affiliated with a university or other research institution?
- Does the text cite other scholarly materials?
- Is the content relevant to your research question? Can you use the text to support your own claims?
- Has the text been refereed/peer reviewed? Remember, usually only articles published in scholarly journals have been peer reviewed. In literary research it is common to publish your findings in other formats, such as dissertations, books or book chapters. Just because a source is not peer review it does not mean that it is not scholarly.
More on evaluating sources, peer review and how to read a scholarly article
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