IST 605: Mindfulness and Art

Databases and search engines like Google can be overwhelming to use, especially when there are a lot of features and results. Luckily, we have some tips to use when you search for articles in our database suggestions. 

Keywords 

Keywords are terms or phrases that you search for when looking for resources. Some keywords related to mindfulness-based art therapy would be: 

• mindfulness
• stress 
• creativ* 
• art therapy, art practice, art activities
• anxiety 
• emotion* 
• meditation
• recovery 
• relax*
• easy

The asterisk at the end of a keyword (*) tells the database or search engine to look for multiple endings to the word. For example, emotion* could encompass emotional and emotions. Creativ* could include creative and creativity. This feature could work for multiple terms listed here or others you find to be helpful. 

Boolean Operators 

Using boolean operators is a strategy that involves connecting keywords to specify a search. Using words like AND, OR, and NOT can help narrow down your results. 

• AND will search for results that include both terms. For example, "creativity AND mindfulness" will narrow results to articles that contain both terms. 
• OR will find results that include either of the terms. It is best used for synonyms or terms that could cover similar topics in an article. For example, "creativity AND anxiety OR stress" will search for results that include the word creativity along with either anxiety or stress. 
• NOT will remove words from your search. It can be used to narrow results by excluding certain topics. For example, "art activities AND mindfulness NOT beginner" will search for articles that discuss art activities for mindfulness that are more advanced and not necessarily geared towards beginners.