A prototype debugger for search strategies

In this video we explore how we might take ideas from the world of software engineering and apply them to the challenge of search strategy formulation. We demonstrate a prototype ‘debugger’ which provides insight into the behaviour of search strategies, helping users to inspect, understand and validate them. This work was completed in collaboration with Jingfan Zang as part of his Master’s thesis in User Experience Engineering and was accepted as a demo paper at the ACM SIGIR Conference on Human Information Interaction and Retrieval (CHIIR 2023).

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A new way to search for patents

I am delighted to announce a new release of 2Dsearch, with various improvements including an integration with two of the world’s biggest patent databases: Google Patents and Lens Patents. What this means is that you can now run a single visual search across 14 different sources and benefit from automated translations for many more. And with the addition of Google Patents and Lens Patents, you can now use 2Dsearch for patent searching and competitive intelligence, with free starter examples for each.

We’ve lots more planned for the next release, so if you’d like to help shape this or have comments or suggestions then do let us know. We’d be delighted to hear from you.

 

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2Dsearch: new release (Feb 2022)

Delighted to announce a new release of 2Dsearch, with various improvements including new preferences with options for snap-to-grid, advanced query parsing and default databases. We’ve also integrated the latest version of PolyGlot and fixed the query parser bug which so many of you raised.

What this means is that you can now use 2Dsearch to execute a single visual search across a dozen different databases and benefit from automated translations for many more. We’ve also made further improvements to the user experience and now provide example searches for each of the databases.

We’ve lots more planned for the next release, so if you’d like to help shape this or have comments or suggestions then please let us know.

 

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Searching grey literature: a single strategy to search multiple sources

In this short video we take a brief look at searching grey literature. Grey literature is the term given to unpublished documents such as dissertations, technical reports, conference abstracts, newsletters, presentations and so on. Even though they may not have been formally published, these documents can still contain vital information.

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Translating search strategies: a universal language for information needs?

In this short video we learn how to automatically translate search strategies to the syntax of different databases.

Let’s start with a simple search strategy that finds documents on the use of exercise to prevent obesity in older people:

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2Dsearch: new release (spring 2021)

Spring is traditionally a time of new beginnings, so I am delighted this week to announce a new release of 2Dsearch. This release contains a variety of bug fixes and improvements, including support for two new databases: ACM Guide to Computing Literature and IDEAS (the largest bibliographic database dedicated to Economics available freely on the Internet). We’ve also improved our search report generation tool and now offer query statistics to help you refine those all important search strategies.

What all this means is that you can now use 2Dsearch to search visually across 12 different databases and use automated translations for 8 more. We’ve also made further improvements to the user experience and now provide example searches for each of the 12 databases.

We’ve lots more planned for the next release, so if you’d like to help shape this and/or have comments or suggestions then do let us know. We’d be delighted to hear from you!

 

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2Dsearch: new year, new release

New year, new release — I am delighted this week to announce a new release of 2Dsearch. This contains a variety of bug fixes and improvements, including support for IEEE XPlore, a ‘Help me choose’ feature and automated search report generation.

You can now use 2Dsearch to search visually across 10 different databases and use automated translations for many more. We’ve also made improvements to the canvas user experience and now provide starter examples for each of the 10 databases.

We’ve lots more planned for the next release, so if you’d like to help shape this and/or have comments or suggestions then do let us know. We’d be delighted to hear from you.

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2Dsearch: latest release including ERIC

It’s been a little while in the making, but I am delighted this week to announce a new release of 2Dsearch. This contains a variety of bug fixes and improvements, notably support for ERIC (Education Resources Information Center).

You can now use 2Dsearch to search visually across 9 different databases and use automated translations for many more. We’ve made various improvements to the canvas user experience, including support for proximity operators and creating nested groups. We also improved the query parsing and now provide in-app links to syntax guides and other support materials.

We’ve lots more planned for the next release, so if you’d like to help shape this and/or have comments of your own then do let us know. We’d be delighted to hear from you!

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Using controlled vocabulary terms to optimize your search

In the previous video we learnt how to use search suggestions to help us choose effective keywords for our search. In this video, we’ll look at techniques to make those terms more precise.

A key task in developing effective search strategies is choosing the right terms for the various facets of your information need. For example, if you are researching the topic of promoting physical activity to prevent obesity in older people, you might start with a search like this:

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How to optimize your search using query suggestions

In our previous video we learnt how to use visual approaches to create the correct structure for our search strategy. In this video, we’ll look at techniques to create the right content.

A key task in developing effective search strategies is choosing the right keywords. But how do we create these terms in the first place? One way is simply to brainstorm them, i.e. think up related terms for each facet. Or you might use your search results as a source of inspiration. But is there a more efficient way to generate related terms?

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