Keywords
Keywords are the search terms you will be using over the course of your research. Coming up with a set of keywords even before you begin your research is, well, key. Sometimes it is easy to find the right terms, other times it may take some thinking. If you search a catalog or other database and find you are coming up empty handed, you will need to be more creative in coming up with search terms.
Consider your concepts
Before you even begin your research, take time to consider your topic and words or phrases associated with main concepts in your topic. As a simple example, if your topic is the potential effect of global warming on polar bear populations, you will find that you have two main concepts:
1. global warming
2. polar bears
A Google search will pull up articles on this topic. But you want to investigate resources beyond Google (naturally) and these may involve approaching your topic from a variety of angles. So prepare yourself! Consider related terms — these may be broader or narrower — as well as synonyms or related ideas:
1. global warming - climate change, Arctic ecosystem, climatic warming
2. polar bears - polar bear populations and breeding, Arctic mammal
As you begin your research, you may come across additional terms. Add these to your list. Besides the Internet, a good place to start is often an encyclopedia or other reference source. Not only will you find more keywords to add to your search, but you will also acquire good background information on your topic.
An added benefit to writing down your concepts and search terms as you conduct your research: this process will help you organize your thoughts.
Consider your sources
It is also important to consider standpoints or biases when you are searching for information. For instance, adding "fraud" or "scam" to your global warming search will likely produce very different results than adding "scientists" or "experts."
Think also about the biases inherent in some terms. What do you think the standpoint of a resource discussing "illegal aliens" would be? What about one that instead uses the term "undocumented workers"?
Finally, consider the time the source was written. If you are looking through historical documents or older print indexes for information, you will need to think about the terms used when the book or article was published. For a history paper on voting rights, you might find more using the term "suffrage" than you would using "voting." Or if you are looking for demographic information, you may have to think about a variety of terms depending on when or how each term was used: Chicano, Mexican-American, Hispanic, Latino.
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