Much like Frankenstein’s Monster, every researcher begins with a kind of linguistic infancy—punching in a few keywords, seeing what comes up, and hoping for the best. This is the “fire bad” stage of searching: simple, direct, but often imprecise. Then comes the next phase—the learning, the refinement, the humanizing process. As we grow more skilled, we start using controlled vocabularies Boolean operators, and Terms & Connectors to sculpt our queries with precision. We might even engage with AI-powered tools or Large Language Models that can parse meaning, context, and nuance—much like Shelley’s creature learning to manipulate words and master the expression of complex human emotion. This increases the specificity and relevance of our results, and we exclaim: “It’s alive. It’s ALIVE!” The feeling can be electric!
Read moreFrom Grunts to Greatness: Frankenstein’s Monster and the Evolution of Legal Research
Image Source: https://ndla.no/r/engelsk-2/frankenstein-or-the-modern-prometheus-by-mary-shelley/0d3f85047e, Creative Commons
