The research problem identified in the discussion forum concerns the issue of mindful eating. According to research, mindful eating can lead to weight loss and reduce negative emotions (Shaw & Cassidy, 2022). Additionally, mindful eating can influence one to develop a healthier relationship with food. The following steps outline the process of searching for information about this research problem using Google Scholar.
- Identifying keywords in the research topic to obtain accurate search results involving articles containing the needed information. For instance, the keywords identified in this research problem include mindful eating, weight loss, negative emotions, and mindfulness.
- Setting the desired timeframe for the articles. Google Scholar allows the user to choose the year when the sources containing the information of interest were written. However, the timeframe of articles depends on the time the research was conducted. Most relevant research articles about mindful eating were written within ten years, from 2013 to 2022.
- Identifying the relevant articles by looking for search results with more keywords. Articles that have titles with the most keywords are likely to contain more accurate information than others.
The process was simple and helpful since the site offers a pool of resources to choose from, thus increasing the chances of accessing accurate information. Additionally, most of the research results were based on research rather than personal opinions or beliefs. Therefore, most of the information available was reliable and verifiable, increasing the results’ accuracy. There are various ways of evaluating the credibility of the sources found in Google Scholar. Firstly, one can check the sources cited by the author when writing the article. Many Google Scholar sources indicate the citations that the writer used to analyze information, signifying the articles are not based on the opinion or beliefs of the writer. Secondly, the credibility of the sources can be evaluated by checking the publisher’s reputation. Google Scholar often indicates the material’s publisher, which allows users to track the history of articles produced by the publisher. What I can do next time to help me in the process is to understand the research problem and identify the necessary keywords that are essential in directing me to the rights sources.
Searching for the same information on the UHV Library website was a different experience. Although some steps are similar to those required in Google Scholar, such as using keywords, UHV Library offers limited sources. Besides, the accuracy of the results is relatively low because most of the sources provided by the website do not match the information of interest. Evaluating the credibility of the sources provided on this website requires one to check the reputation of the writers and other works they have written. Additionally, one needs to evaluate the references cited in the articles and their accuracy. The information in the references should match the article’s data for the source to be accurate.
The search results of the two sites are similar because they offer information based on the keywords input in the database. For instance, on both sites, most articles contained the word mindful. Additionally, the results of the two searches are based on the user’s desired timeframe, especially between 2013 and 2022. However, these results are different because Google Scholar offers more accurate results than the UHV Library website. For instance, most of the articles on Google Scholar were based on studies regarding how mindful eating affects weight loss, while most of the articles on the UHV library referred to studies on how behavioral therapy affects weight loss. Besides, Google Scholar provides more articles within a specific timeframe than UHV Library. Moreover, Google Scholar presents sources from many publishers, while UHV Library sources are restricted to particular publishers. When searching for diverse sources that are reliable and accurate, I would choose Google Scholar over UHV Library.
Reference
Shaw, R., & Cassidy, T. (2022). Self-compassion, mindful eating, eating attitudes and wellbeing among emerging adults.The Journal of Psychology, 156(1), 33-47. Web.