Looking for Clues: Research Tools
The first aspect of efficient research online is the "AND" "OR" and "NOT" principle. "OR" for example is used to make a search as broad as possible. For example, using these terms this search to find sources on teenagers: “adolescents OR adolescence OR teens OR teenagers OR ‘young adults’", This search would ensure that a researcher does not miss sources that use synonyms to their main topic of research. For "AND" the purpose is to narrow the search as much as possible. For example: “college students AND behaviour”. "NOT" is used to exclude terms. For example: “’college students’ NOT ‘high school’”. Most online libraries, archives and search engines utlize this system. Other sources for information might be social media. Historians or prominent heritage institutions often provide links to new papers, new findings in the field and to newly publicly accessible primary sources on their Twitter and Facebook pages.