English 161: Contemporary Issues in Public Education Reform  

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In addition to the search techniques covered in the "Doing Reserach Tutorial" above, the following techniques can improve your success with online searching, whether you're searching a catalog for books or a database for articles:

• Enter phrases in quotes:  "higher education," "community college"
• Use truncation symbols to search for alternate word endings: In most databases, entering educat* searches for educate, educator, educators and education.
• If one term doesn't work, try a few others. Experiment with different vocabulary related to your topic. Brainstorm ideas for relevant keywords and use background sources such as wikipedia and encyclopedias for suggestions.

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