Learning outcomes for this module
- LO3: Ask thoughtful questions.
- LO4: Turn questions into strategies for retrieving a variety of information sources.
Tools
| What You’ll Need | What We Used |
|---|---|
| Forum for discussion | Padlet |
| A place for students to submit/share their answers to the activity | Blog posts on our WordPress-based course site |
How to Credit Us
Except where otherwise noted, the lesson plans on this site are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.
To credit us for this module/lesson plan, cite the following:
Newman, J., Ward, S.K.L. (2025, July 10). Search Strategies 1. LIBR 100 OER. https://lib100oer.commons.gc.cuny.edu/2025/07/10/search-strategies-1/
Search Strategies 1
Module Introduction
For this module, we use the sources we looked at in Reading Strategies to generate questions and keywords to search for more information
We frequently encounter students who think they must come up with their search terms (keywords) all on their own. In reality, most researchers use sources they have already read to find more related sources. This strategy works when you have assigned readings for a class, or when you encounter a news story or social media post you’re curious about.
The module consists of the following parts:
- Padlet for asking questions – 2 activities (3 points)
- Padlet for identifying keywords/search terms from the actual readings (3 points)
- Blog post: developing a preliminary search plan (4 points)
Part 1: Asking Questions Padlet (3 points)
There are four questions on the Padlet below that relate to the sources you read in Reading Strategies. There are two activities below that we are asking you to post on this Padlet. Be sure to do both to get full credit for this module.
Part 1.1 – Asking sub-questions
A sub-question is a question you’d need to explore or answer in order to form your answer or understand some aspect of the larger question/topic. Use the four main questions on this Padlet as a starting point for asking sub-questions.
Activity:
- Write and post 2 sub-questions on this Padlet under any of the main questions you choose. Be sure to include your name on your posts for credit.
4.1.2 – Identifying Open and Closed-Ended Questions
Different types of questions can be used for different purposes in research and in life. Questions are often categorized as open-ended or closed-ended questions.
A former student offered this explanation of the main difference between open- and closed-ended questions:
Closed-ended questions are for when you want an answer. Open-ended questions are for when you want to start a conversation. – Dezwon, LIBR 100 student, Spring 2020
Sometimes we need an answer; sometimes we need to explore and engage in conversation. Some questions don’t fit into either category and instead fall somewhere in between. A few things to look for:
- Closed-ended questions often have a single answer, or they can be answered with a single source of information
- Open-ended questions often require a complex or nuanced answer, or may require engaging with multiple sources of information
Activity:
- Identify one open-ended question and one closed-ended question by commenting under the relevant Padlet post. They can be your own questions or a classmate’s questions. Be sure to include your name in your comments for credit.
Part 2: Using readings and questions to identify keywords (3 points)
Now we are going to use your questions and the related readings to identify keywords to search for new information. The Padlet below has sections for each of the readings from Module 3.
For this activity, choose one reading and pick out just one or two new keywords (with no “repeats”). Remember that we are talking about strategies here, so use the readings to identify these new keywords.
Post your keywords (be sure to include your name) under the reading you chose. You can drag/drop your post under the correct reading if it appears in a different location.
4.3: Developing a preliminary strategy (4 points)
Choose a question from the Part 1 Padlet you are interested in – this can be one of the top-level questions, or any of the sub-questions. Select several keywords related to that question that you want to test out. These can be keywords from the Part 2 Padlet, or new ones that you come up with. Identify what kinds of information you want to find that will help you explore this question.
Write a blog post titled “Your Name – Search Strategies 1.” The post should include the following information
- The question you chose
- 3-5 keywords that you want to test out to find more information
- What kind of information you think will help you explore/understand more about this topic.
When listing types of information, be specific – don’t say “articles” but tell us what kind of articles: news articles, peer reviewed articles/research studies, magazine articles, etc.
