Research is a larger process of inquiry. Searching is how you find partial answers.
Keeping track of your searches:
- help you make sense of your research process
- saves time by avoiding duplicated effort
Key elements of a search log:
- Write down your question(s) and interest(s)
- Where you searched (e.g. JSTOR, Tripod) and when
- What you did (which keywords? advanced search?)
- How well did it go? What did you gain? What's next?