This presentation was provided to Library Staff at Seneca Libraries by Therese Tisseverasinghe. The purpose of this presentation is to provide useful tips on how to use PRIMO library search when providing a reference interview or research consultation.

1. PRIMO Search & the Reference Interview
From Topic Idea to Relevant Peer-reviewed Publications
“I need 5 peer-reviewed articles on …”
Therese Tisseverasinghe

2. Search Engine Basics
All search engines contain 2 basic components:
Input
Keyword
Filter
Results

3. Why PRIMO?

4. Academic Research Help
Student with a Topic idea
Start End Goal
Relevant ArticlesWho’s end goal?

5. Starting the Search
Keywords! Who?
What?
Where?
When?
Why?
The Reference Interview

6. Sample Topic from LibAnalytics
Journal articles and books on the mistreatment of Aboriginals in Canada.

7. PRIMO Filters: Subject Terms
Ex Libris: Subject terms come from either the libraries bibliographic records or from our content provider
partners’ source records.
• Determine synonyms & appropriate terminology
• Refine topic
Example: poverty from an economic, health, education, … perspective?
• Define scope
Example: focus on ethnicity, geographic location, age group… ?
Subject Terms Filter can used to:

8. Subject Terms: Terminology
Keyword: Aboriginal
Appropriate term?
• Politically
• Historically
• Geographically
Appropriate Search term is
contextual.
Smart Search

9. Subject Terms Filter Changes as you add and/or modify other filters

10. Subject Terms: Developing a Search Statement

11. Subject Terms Filter AND
What if we remove some of the
other subjects?
Boolean Search Operators
AND = Selecting one filter at a time, click “Apply Filter” in between each.
Only 2 results! How do we expand results?
AND
AND
AND
Canadian Native Peoples AND Racism

12. Subject Terms Filter Boolean Search Operators OR
OR = Selecting filter items at the same time before clicking “Apply Filters”
Canadian Native Peoples–Health Aspects
OR
Canadian Native Peoples–Social Aspects
OR
249 + 223 =
472
Close, but not equal. Why?

13. Subject Terms Filter Boolean Search Operators NOT
Not good, but can useful in
some cases such as:
Canadian Native Peoples–Social Aspects
NOT
Canadian Native Peoples–Health Aspects

14. Locking Filters
Why Remove Canada?Can apply Lock
to any filter
New Search Statement with Filter Lock

15. Filters: Source/Collection and Journal Title
Identify and search within relevant journals

16. Article Selection

17. Citation Trails
View related citations that are either cited in this article or citing this article

18. Citation Path
Path of selected citations above the results list

19. Resource Details

20. Details: Author

21. Details: Subject

22. Advanced Search: Quick Overview

23. Filter: Content / Material Type
Articles vs. Reviews 1. Book Reviews
2. Literature Reviews

24. Selecting a Database
Open link in new tabs

25. Research Skills Covered Thus Far
• Refine search strategies based on the search results
• Determine an appropriate scope of the research question and identify key concepts
• Use different types of searching language
• Develop and compare search strategies and results
• Identify the contribution that particular articles … make to disciplinary knowledge
Searching as Strategic Exploration
• Identify the sources and search tools to access relevant information
Research as Inquiry
Scholarship as Conversation

26. Research as Inquiry
Searching as Strategic Exploration
Scholarship as Conversation
Authority is Constructed and Contextual
Information Creation as Process
Information Has Value
Threshold Concepts

27. The Research Process
Source: https://ju.se/library/search--write/how-to-search---step-by-step/plan-your-search.html
The important thing is not to follow the steps in the
right order, but to be aware of what it is that you are
actually doing when you are searching for information
in a strategic way.
It’s never a straight path

28. Information Literacy =
Topic idea
Relevant Articles
Research ConceptsSearch Skills +
Input
Keyword
Filter
Results

29. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND