ENG 110: Writing to Engage (Jacobson)

When using a library database, it is a good idea to start by developing a list of simple keywords or phrases describing your topic idea. The following steps will help you come up with especially effective search terms.

1. Identify your research question: Clearly define the main topic or question that you want to research.

2. Break down your topic: Identify the key concepts or main ideas within your research question. For example, if your topic is "the causes and effects of poverty in the Midwest," the main concepts are "poverty" and "Midwest."

3. Brainstorm synonyms and related terms: For each key concept, think of synonyms, related terms, and variations. For "poverty," you might include "poor," "economic hardship," "low income," "financial struggle," and "impoverishment." For "Midwest," consider "Midwestern United States," "Great Plains," "heartland," or use the name of a specific state or states.

4. Consider broader and narrower terms: Include broader terms to find more general information and narrower terms for more specific details. For example, broader terms for "poverty" might be "economic issues" or "social inequality," and narrower terms might be "child poverty" or "rural poverty."

5. Use Boolean operators: Combine your keywords using Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to refine your search. For instance, "poverty AND Midwest," "economic hardship OR low income," or "Midwest NOT Great Lakes."

6. Use quotation marks: If you have words that must be searched together as a single phrase, place quotation marks around them. For example, "financial struggle" or "economic hardship."

7. Stay flexible, test, and refine: Try different combinations of keywords and make adjustments to searches based on your results. If a search returns too many irrelevant results, add more specific terms. If it returns too few, try broader terms.

For more information about keywords, watch the three-minute YouTube video above.