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How to Search Databases: Developing Keywords

Learn how to effectively and efficiently search the library databases.

What are Keywords?

multicolor keysKeywords are important terms or conecpts found in your research question or thesis statement.

Find keywords in your research question or thesis statement by pulling the most important nouns from your question or statement.

Remember, single words will always return more results than phrases or sentences.

Image by Florian Berger from Pixabay

Finding Keywords

You can find keywords:

  • within your research question or thesis statement
  • in encyclopedias used in background research; aka tertiary sources
  • in bibliographies found at the end of books and articles
  • in a thesaurus; try using Thesaurus.com or in Word's thesaurus under the Review Tab
  • by asking a librarian 
     

Keywords & Synonyms

Using the right key words can speed up your research, while the wrong ones can bring your research to a screeching halt.   Knowing both broader and narrow terms for your topic, along with similar and related terms for your topic can help you get the search results you need.

Use this handy chart to help you document keywords related to your topic.

Search Keywords Tutorial

Video courtesy of Ray W. Howard Library at Shoreline Community College