Search strategy worksheet and log

Working question:
Purpose of this search:
Assignment scope and limits:

Concept A:
Terms or phrases to try, one per line:

Concept B:
Terms or phrases to try, one per line:

Optional concept C:
Terms or phrases to try, one per line:

Generic Boolean draft:
Database and platform selected:
Syntax or field changes required by that platform:

Complete only after an actual search
Date searched:
Exact query submitted:
Fields and filters used (record no filters if none):
Observed result count and any displayed limits:
Relevant record identifiers and why they fit:
Unexpected or missing material:
Change to test next:

The generic draft combines alternatives within a concept with OR and different concepts with AND. Check the database help before submitting it. A phrase, wildcard, field tag or proximity operator may behave differently across platforms. A log records what you actually searched; it does not certify comprehensive or systematic coverage.

--- Worked example ---

Original illustrative search plan. No database has been searched for this example; dates, platforms, filters and result counts are deliberately blank.

Working question: What does research report about retrieval practice in first-year university courses?

Concept A: retrieval practice; practice testing.
Concept B: first year students; first-year students; undergraduates.

Generic Boolean draft: ("retrieval practice" OR "practice testing") AND ("first year students" OR "first-year students" OR "undergraduates")

Undergraduates is a broader population label, not an exact synonym for first-year students. Relevance must be checked in the records. The phrase alternatives are candidate terms, not an exhaustive vocabulary.

Search purpose or question: What does research report about retrieval practice in first-year university courses?
Database and platform: 
Date actually searched: 
Exact submitted query: ("retrieval practice" OR "practice testing") AND ("first year students" OR "first-year students" OR "undergraduates")
Fields and filters actually used: 
Observed result count: 
Relevant record identifiers or notes: 
Change to test next: Check the chosen database help for phrase syntax, search fields and subject headings before running this draft.
Search status: Illustrative plan only; not run

Search purpose or question: Compare a broader population block with the starting expression.
Database and platform: 
Date actually searched: 
Exact submitted query: ("retrieval practice" OR "practice testing") AND ("students" OR "undergraduates")
Fields and filters actually used: 
Observed result count: 
Relevant record identifiers or notes: 
Change to test next: Screen whether records concern the intended stage of study; the broader terms can introduce irrelevant populations.
Search status: Illustrative plan only; not run

Search purpose or question: Inspect the strategy with the population block removed.
Database and platform: 
Date actually searched: 
Exact submitted query: ("retrieval practice" OR "practice testing")
Fields and filters actually used: 
Observed result count: 
Relevant record identifiers or notes: 
Change to test next: Use only if the earlier search misses useful material; compare actual relevance, not just the number of hits.
Search status: Illustrative plan only; not run

This example makes no claim about an educational effect, a real result set, a best database or an optimal search strategy.