Database & Search Engine Strategies
Boolean Search Operators:
Uses: Boolean operators are tools used to refine searches in databases, catalogs, and search engines. Common Boolean operators include "AND" (all keywords must be found within search), "OR" (either keywords must be found within search), and "NOT" (excludes all keywords that follow it from search).
Examples: Gay AND Musicians | Trans OR Transgender | LGBTQ+ NOT Queer
Nesting:
Uses: Nesting is used to add parentheses around keywords to group them, allowing you to run multiple searches at once. Best used in databases and search engine searches.
Example: (Gay OR Lesbian) AND Musicians
Phrase Searching:
Uses: Phrase searching is the use of quotation marks to surround key terms. These are used to look for exact phrases within a search. Best used in search engine and database searches.
Example: "LGBTQ+ MUSICIANS"
Field Searching:
Uses: Conducts searches in specific fields (e.g., titles, authors, publication dates). Can vary between databases, and can be utilized with Boolean Operators. Best used in database searching.
Example: Searching for "Quin, Tegan" under the field "Author" will generate results by, not about, the author Tegan Quin
Truncation Searching:
Uses: Truncation Searching is the use of symbols * or ? to replace characters at the end (or within) a word. Best used in database searching.
Example: LGBTQI* | Musi* | LGBTQ?
Overview: A comprehensive database, with access to encyclopedias and tools like Grove Music Online (Encyclopedia), Oxford Dictionary of Music, and The Oxford Companion to Music. Grove Music Online traces back its earliest publication to 1879 and gives users instant access to multiple forms of content like academic articles, images, and many authoritative resources with just a few clicks.
Access: Requires University at Albany student subscription or access through a public library.
Search Features: Offers basic and advanced search options, filtering by subjects like instruments, eras, regions, etc. Helpful for finding in-depth authoritative resources on LGBTQ+ musicians.
Help Module: Oxford Music Online Help
Overview: A specialized music database with access to many resources like books, case studies, journals, essays, trade publications, letters, and many more, making this database a valuable tool to start your research. The scope of this database contains coverage from the 1970s to the present day, covering aspects of music that spread both between genres and eras. This tool may help researchers looking for a more modern scope of LGBTQ+ musicians.
Access: Requires University at Albany student subscription or access through a public library.
Search Features: Offers basic and advanced search options, filtering by subject type, source type, publication, company, and more. Offers a large collection of materials on or about LGBTQ+ musicians.
Help Module: Basic Searches | Advanced Searches
GoogleOverview: When conducting searches in search engines like Google about LGBTQ+ musicians, keep in mind to consider the webpage's credibility, accessibility, and scope of your topic. Google offers great resources (i.e.: Billboard, Rolling Stones, books, etc.) that can be considered for your research. Since this search engine and index cover a large scope, it might be taxing to try and find specific, full-length academic articles or peer-reviewed articles for your research topic.
Access: Public use (mostly): some resources may have paywalls, or prompt the user to create an account.
Search Features: Offers basic and advanced search options. Google search operators can also be used.
Help Modules: Google Search Help
Google ScholarOverview: Google Scholar is a free-to-use tool for exploring scholarly material and academic resources that can be used to find materials on LGBTQ+ musicians. When using Google Scholar to research this topic, it is important to consider the accessibility, relevance, and scope of the resources you find. Due to the large number of content and coverage, it can be challenging to narrow down your search to find academic or peer-reviewed articles that are free, have full text readily available, and directly relate to your topic.
Access: Public use (mostly): some publications may have paywalls, or prompt the user to create an account.
Search Features: Offers basic and advanced search options as well as the use of Google search operators.
Help Modules: Google Scholar Help