• Doing Research
  • Funding
  • Searching for information
    • Goal driven searching
      • Creating a search strategy
      • Concept Mapping
    • Data driven searching
    • Search techniques
    • Where to search?
    • Searching for data
  • Collaborative tools
  • Reference managers
  • Writing

Goal driven searching

Goal driven searching is the search technique which revolves around preparation. This strategy is most effective when your search query or information need is very specific. The goal of the careful preparation of your search is to thoroughly define what exactly it is that you need, which search terms to use and which databases you can use to search in. You might have to think about the complete overview of a topic, the specific angle of your research, the sort of information you are looking for and the purpose the information serves in your research. This information can be used to effectively search for the exact information you need.

In order to prepare a search carefully, a couple of search techniques may be of help, such as the stepwise preparation of a search strategy, in which you will link your information need to the most effective search terms, and the technique of concept mapping, in which you explore a concept and define the relations between your main concept and related ones.