Researching on the Internet: Planning your searches

Although researching on the Internet is fast and easy, it can nevertheless be a frustrating process if you're conducting in-depth research, such as the research for a report, for example. Primarily this stems from a lack of focus. The solution is simple: plan your research project before you set out on a Web-hunt for information.

If you're looking for information for which there is a single answer, such as who developed the fax machine, keeping your focus is simple. However, when the project is lengthy, it's easy to forget what material you need. The tendency is to collect a mile of material, and then to discard most of it because it doesn't fit the terms of reference of the project.

Collecting irrelevant material has two effects. Firstly, you waste time. Secondly, you become frustrated. You procrastinate on turning in the report, because the project seems more difficult than it appeared, and it's taking longer than you thought it would.

Planning your research project
1. Develop a one-sentence terms of reference statement of no longer than 25 words. For example, "Five plant-based hormones, currently used in the pharmaceutical industry", or "The millennium bug: its effect on the Australian banking industry".

2. Quickly make a list of the online resources you will check. You could include a couple of the major World Wide Web search engines (see Rose Vines' article in this issue on search engines, and PC User's top search sites, also in this issue), several newsgroups, and mailing lists (www.liszt.com provides an easy method of searching for mailing lists). The idea of making a short list of resources is that you hit the high spots of what's available.

3. Make a start on the final version of your project. Create a file for the report, with a brief outline. Your outline can be as brief as you like at this point. The idea of making a start on the project's end result immediately is that you conquer the inertia that tends to set in after you've gathered a mile of material, and think that you have to make sense of it all before you start work on the report, or whatever the project is.

4. Create a timeline. If your report is due in three weeks, for example, devote a week to searching, another week to compiling and indexing the material you've gathered, and five days to writing the report. Break each part of the process into small steps. Write the dates on the timeline, and insert the various tasks into your daily schedule. When you do this, not only will you know exactly where you are in the process of creating the report, but you'll also be able to make good use of any spare minutes which come your way.

5. As you begin gathering material, read what you've collected as you collect it, and summarise it. Just note down important points -- you can condense five pages of material into a few lines. As you do this, you'll be able to create further headings for your outline. You can key the material to those headings, so that you know exactly what references you'll be using. At this stage, you'll develop questions which arise out of the material you read. You may want to send e-mail messages to experts in the field, to get verification of facts, and further information. You'll be pleased to see that your final report is taking shape even as you continue to gather material.

6. As you work, keep your terms of reference statement where you can see it. Perhaps stuck to the side of your monitor. You'll still collect material which doesn't fit -- just discard it when you realise it's irrelevant.

When you're stumped
You've tried all the areas you normally search, and no-one knows the answer to your query. Try:

• Stumpers: Stumpers is a mailing list for questions which, essentially, have people stumped. Before you try the list, research thoroughly using all the normal research tools: the library, specialists, online resources etc. Many of the subscribers to Stumpers are reference librarians.

To subscribe, send a message subscribe stumpers-l to mailserv@crf.cuis.edu

Taking the time to plan your research projects saves time, energy and frustration. You'll also do a better job on your projects.

For a rundown on using Boolean operators to get better results from the major search engines, see Rose Vines' article 'Speaking Boolean'.

by Angela Booth