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Global Affairs, International Relations and Politics

Tips, Tricks and Time-Saving Tools

When you use phrase searching, you instruct the database or search engine to locate a specific group of words in that exact sequence. This is especially valuable when:

  • You're looking for a specific political concept or theory: Searching for "democratic peace theory" will find information specifically about that concept, not just articles that mention the words "democratic" and "peace" separately.
  • You want to find a particular treaty or agreement: Searching for "Paris Agreement" will retrieve information about that climate accord, not just articles that mention "Paris" and "agreement" individually.
  • The order of the words is significant: Searching for "United Nations Security Council" will find information about that specific body, not just any mention of the words "United Nations" and "Security" or "Council."

How to Use Phrase Searching in Political Science, International Relations, and Global Affairs Research:

Simply enclose the phrase you're looking for in quotation marks. Most databases (like Emerald and JSTOR) and search engines recognise quotation marks as a signal for phrase searching.

  • Example: "human rights violations"
  • Example: "Brexit negotiations"

Why Phrase Searching is Crucial for Students and Researchers:

  • Precision: It helps you find the exact information you need, not just vaguely related content.
  • Relevance: It ensures that the results you get are focused on your specific topic, not just general mentions of the words you're searching for.
  • Efficiency: It saves you valuable time by filtering out irrelevant results, allowing you to focus on the most pertinent information for your research or analysis.

Remember:

  • Don't use quotation marks around excessively long phrases: If your phrase is too long, you might not find any matches.
  • Combine phrase searching with other search techniques: You can use phrase searching in conjunction with other tools like Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) and filters (date range, region) to refine your search even further.

Proximity searching allows you to find words or phrases that appear near each other in a document, even if they're not directly adjacent. This is useful when:

  • The order of the words is flexible: You might remember two political concepts being discussed in an article, but not the exact phrase. For example, searching for "democracy" NEAR/5 "human rights" would find documents where those terms appear within five words of each other, in any order.
  • You want to find linked ideas: You might want to find documents where two concepts are discussed in close proximity, indicating a potential relationship or impact on each other. For example, searching for "climate change" NEAR/10 "migration" could find articles exploring the link between climate change and migration patterns.
  • You're unsure of the exact terminology: Maybe you recall a general idea from a report but not the precise wording. Proximity searching can help you locate it even if you don't remember the exact phrase.

How to Use Proximity Searching in Politics, International Relations, and Global Affairs Research:

Different databases use varying symbols and syntax for proximity searching. Common operators include:

  • NEAR/ or N/: Finds words within a certain number of words of each other.
    • For example, "foreign policy" NEAR/5 "economic sanctions" would find "foreign policy and economic sanctions" but also "economic sanctions as a tool of foreign policy."
  • W/ or WITHIN: Finds words within a certain number of words of each other, in the order you specify.
    • For example, "United Nations" W/3 "peacekeeping" would find "United Nations peacekeeping" but not "peacekeeping efforts by the United Nations."

Why Proximity Searching is Valuable for Students and Researchers:

  • Flexibility: It offers more freedom than phrase searching, which requires exact word order, accommodating variations in how concepts are expressed.
  • Relevance: It can help you find documents where ideas are closely related, even if they're not expressed in the exact same way, leading to a broader understanding of the topic.
  • Discovery: It can help you uncover valuable information that might have otherwise remained hidden with a more rigid search, leading to deeper insights and a broader understanding of complex issues.

Remember:

  • Check the database's help guide: Different databases might have different rules for proximity searching, so be sure to check the specific syntax and operators they use.
  • Experiment with different distances: The optimal distance between terms can vary depending on the context. Try different numbers after the "NEAR/" or "W/" operator to see what works best for your search.

Wildcards are special characters that substitute for unknown or multiple letters, enabling you to broaden your search and uncover variations of words, leading to valuable discoveries in your research on politics, international relations, and global affairs.

The Asterisk (*):

  • Replaces zero or more characters.
  • Ideal for finding different word endings, plurals, or variations of a word stem.
  • Example: Searching for "politic*" could find:
    • politics
    • political
    • politician
    • politicisation

The Question Mark (?):

  • Replaces a single character.
  • Useful for alternative spellings or when you're unsure of the exact spelling.
  • Example: Searching for "organi?ation" could find:
    • organisation (British spelling)
    • organization (American spelling)

How Wildcards Enhance Your Research:

  • Capture All the Variations: Instead of typing every possible ending or variation of a word, use a wildcard to find them all at once. This saves you time and ensures you don't miss any relevant research papers, reports, or news articles.
  • Account for Diverse Terminology: Political and international terminology can vary across regions and disciplines. Wildcards help you find all relevant terms, even if you're unsure of the exact wording.
  • Find What You Don't Know: If you're unsure of the exact spelling of a political term, a country name, or an organisation, wildcards can help you fill in the gaps and discover the correct information.

Important Note: Each database might have its own rules for wildcards:

  • Some databases might use different symbols or have restrictions on how many wildcards you can use in a search.
  • Always check the database's help section for specific instructions.

 

Boolean operators are simple words (AND, OR, NOT) that help you combine or exclude search terms, making your research in politics, international relations, and global affairs more precise and focused on the most relevant information.

  • AND: Narrows your search. Like saying "I want articles about the Syrian conflict AND humanitarian intervention AND international law." All conditions must be true.
  • OR: Broadens your search. Like saying "I want articles about Brexit OR the European Union OR trade negotiations." At least one condition must be true.
  • NOT: Excludes terms. Like saying "I want articles about climate change policy, but NOT those focused solely on the United States." This eliminates certain articles from your search results.

Why Use Boolean Operators in Political Science, International Relations, and Global Affairs Research?

  • Find exactly what you need: By combining terms in specific ways, you can zero in on the most relevant information, like specific case studies, policy analyses, or comparative studies on political systems.
  • Save time: Avoid wasting time sifting through irrelevant results by using Boolean operators to filter out unwanted information.
  • Get more accurate results: Be specific with your search terms and combinations to get the most precise answers to your research questions.

Examples in Research:

  • AND: "human rights" AND "China" AND "Uyghurs" (Find articles about human rights issues concerning Uyghurs in China)
  • OR: "terrorism" OR "counterterrorism" OR "radicalisation" (Find articles about any of these topics)
  • NOT: "democracy" NOT "Western Europe" (Find articles about democracy that do not focus on Western Europe)

Parentheses (or brackets) act like guideposts in your search queries, instructing the database or search engine on how to group your search terms and in what order to process them. This ensures you get the most relevant results for your research in politics, international relations, and global affairs.

Here's why parentheses/brackets are essential for effective research in these fields:

Controlling the Search Engine's Logic:

Search engines have a default order for processing search terms (typically AND first, then OR). Parentheses allow you to override that order and prioritise certain terms or combinations, just like a political strategist prioritises policy goals.

Example: Searching for ("climate change" OR "global warming") AND ("international cooperation" OR "environmental policy") will find documents about climate change or global warming specifically related to international cooperation or environmental policy. Without the parentheses, the search engine might find documents about climate change/global warming in general, and then either international cooperation or environmental policy separately.

Grouping Similar Concepts:

By using parentheses with the OR operator, you can group together synonyms or related terms to broaden your search and ensure you capture all relevant information.

Example: Searching for (democracy OR "democratic governance" OR "political participation") AND ("human rights" OR "civil liberties") will find documents related to democracy and its connection to human rights or civil liberties.

Building Complex Queries:

Parentheses help clarify the meaning of complex searches that combine multiple operators and terms, just as you would structure a multifaceted research question.

Example: Searching for ("United Nations" OR UN) AND ("peacekeeping" OR "conflict resolution") AND ("Africa" OR "Sub-Saharan Africa") will find documents about the United Nations' involvement in peacekeeping or conflict resolution efforts in Africa.

In Summary:

Parentheses act like punctuation marks in a sentence, guiding the search engine to understand your intended meaning and deliver the most relevant results for your research. By using them effectively, you can:

  • Control the logic of your search, ensuring the search engine processes your terms in the order you intend.
  • Group related terms to broaden your search and capture all relevant information.
  • Construct complex queries that accurately reflect your research question or information needs.

Search String:

("international law" OR "human rights") AND ("armed conflict" OR "war") NEAR/5 (intervention* OR "use of force") NOT ("peacekeeping" OR "humanitarian aid")

Explanation:

Phrase Searching:

  • "international law": Searches for this exact term.
  • "human rights": Searches for this exact phrase.
  • "armed conflict": Searches for this exact phrase.
  • "war": Searches for this exact term.

Boolean Operators:

  • OR: Broadens the search to include either "international law" or "human rights," and either "armed conflict" or "war."
  • AND: Narrows the search to include only results that contain both a legal/ethical term (international law or human rights) AND a conflict term (armed conflict or war).
  • NOT: Excludes results that contain the terms "peacekeeping" or "humanitarian aid," focusing on the legal and political aspects of intervention rather than its humanitarian or peacekeeping dimensions.

Wildcard:

  • *: The asterisk wildcard is used within "intervention" to account for variations such as "interventions," "intervening," etc.

Proximity Searching:

  • NEAR/5: Ensures that the terms on either side of this operator appear within five words of each other in the text. This links the legal/ethical terms to the conflict terms and the intervention/use of force terms, ensuring the results discuss their relationship.

What this search will find:

This search will uncover articles, reports, or other documents that discuss interventions or the use of force in armed conflicts, specifically in relation to international law and human rights concerns. It specifically excludes documents that primarily focus on peacekeeping operations or humanitarian aid, highlighting the legal and political debates surrounding the use of force in international conflicts.

Key Points:

  • This search is tailored to students and researchers interested in international law, human rights, and conflict studies.
  • It prioritises relevance by ensuring that the key concepts are closely linked within the text.
  • It avoids unwanted results by excluding the terms "peacekeeping" and "humanitarian aid," focusing on the legal and political dimensions of intervention.
  • It accounts for variations in terminology through the use of wildcards.

Additional Notes:

  • You can adjust the proximity distance (NEAR/5) based on your specific needs and the database you're using.
  • This search can be further refined by adding more specific terms or using other Boolean operators (e.g., adding specific countries or regions involved in the conflict).
  • Always consult the specific database's help guide to confirm the correct syntax for wildcards and proximity operators.