Outside Knowledge has supported Insight Safari in a variety of initiatives, from large-scale secondary research projects which build a foundation for the design of primary research, to very fast-turn around -get smart quick- requests for proposals. The information is on-point, and presented in a way which is easy to access and incorporate.
Basic Research Skills and Sources
This is a simple guide for improving your research skills!
Introduction:
1. Think about who cares about the research:
a. Government, associations, scholars, industries
2. Develop a process/checklist and follow it during a search, it’s one of the best to ways to keep from getting sidetracked:
a. Keep notes about where you’ve looked
b. Write your questions down, then fill in answers (use a table format for complex or multi part questions)
3. Train your eyes to always look for Advanced Search, Tips or Help on sites. The info there can often help you to get a more efficient search.
1. Structure
a. Begin by making a list of keywords for each concept
b. Include similar words (synonyms) or alternative spellings.
c. Key words that work:
i. Consumer, trend, data, statistic, forecast, demographic, index
2. Boolean (primarily for library databases, but some search engines have this option)
a. AND, NOT, OR
b. Searching using a string of search terms (eg. typing in a sentence) is not an effective search strategy.
c. Boolean operators (AND, NOT) will reduce the number of results. OR will increase results.
d. You must think about how your keywords relate to one another and use AND, OR, NOT as appropriate.
4. Search Engines – Go Beyond Google
a. Using alternative search engines is an excellent way to access other information. While Google may find it, it’s not going to be easy to access.
5. Sites to use – by category
a. Article Sites
b. Global Sources
c. Search Engine Sites
d. Market Research Sites
e. Government (or related) Sites
Article Sites:
Global Sources:
Search Engine Sites:
Market Research Sites:
http://www2.zapdata.com/ (industry stats)
Government Sites (or related):
http://lii.org/ (librarian’s guide to the internet)