Diagnose the Broken Search
Every researcher hits moments when the research is not working. What sets competent researchers apart is that they diagnose the problem accurately and apply a specific correction — instead of just searching harder. Each case below shows a search log. Read the symptom, name the diagnosis, pick the fix.
How to use this: two moves per case — diagnose, then correct. The searches use generic terms-and-connectors syntax; exact operators vary by platform (see Precision Search). Finish with the closing-out protocol and make the closure call.
The closing-out protocol
Narrowing finds the right things; closing out confirms you have not missed anything important. These are different jobs. Click each step, then make the closure calls below. If you cannot document why you stopped, you have not closed — you have just stopped.
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