Guidance in literature search

Who can receive guidance?

• Master’s students
• PhD candidates
• Staff

If you are a bachelor's student, you can go to the service desk during the library's opening hours or check out our Canvas courses. You can also take a look at the online resource Search and write.

What you can get guidance on

• Where to search for information (e.g., selecting databases)
• Finding keywords and synonyms
• How to combine search terms
• Search techniques
• How to save your searches
• How to document your searches
• How to export your searches to tools like Zotero or EndNote
• How to refine your searches
• Where to find reliable information about literature searching
  

What you will not receive help with

• Creating a complete search strategy
• Conducting searches on your behalf
• Subject-specific guidance
• Screening and selecting articles

How to get guidance

A session will last 45–60 minutes and can be conducted either in person or online. Master students may book one session.

Fill out the form to schedule a guidance session.

Book a guidance session

Prepare for your guidance session

• Think about what you need help with
• Write down questions to ask during the session
• Consider where you want to search for information
• Conduct some searches on your own
• Test different search terms and note which ones you have tried
• Have a clearly defined research question

Follow-up after the guidance session

Both master's students and staff can receive follow-up after the guidance session. The follow-up will vary somewhat between master's students and staff.

How to continue working after a guidance session

• You can stop by the library help desk during our opening hours or take a look at our Canvas courses. Also, check out the online resource Search & Write.
• Keep exploring your search words – try out synonyms and different combinations.
• Write down your searches as you go – it helps you see what works and what doesn’t.
• Get in touch again if you’re feeling stuck.
• Sometimes you might need to tweak your research question a bit – for example, if you’re not finding enough relevant literature. It’s a good idea to talk to your supervisor about this.