Introduction
Part of planning to do research is determining which search tools will be the best ones to use. Whether you're using Google, Wikipedia, the library catalog, or a specialized article database, keywords are really important. Keywords are how you tell the computer or database what you want, so that it will give you good results. The steps to writing keywords include:
Goals
By the end of this module, you should be able to generate a list of keywords to help you find material for your topic.
From Bobish & Jacobson's The Information Literacy User's Guide (pg. 32)
Part of the planning stage of research is determining the best search tools to use. Google and the Research Databases are often going to be the tools you'll access most during your education. Understanding the benefits and differences between Google and the databases will help you choose the right tool for the information you need. This is important in that it will help you to quickly find what you're looking for.
Remember, a librarian is also a helpful search tool. They can show you very specific ways to focus your search and retrieve the most useful sources. So make sure to stop by the Reference Desk upstairs or use our virtual chat to start your research by talking with a librarian!
From Bobish & Jacobson's The Information Literacy User's Guide (pg. 34)
When deciding what terms to use in a search, break down your topic into its main concepts. Don't enter an entire sentence, or a full question. Different databases and search engines process search queries in different ways, but many look for the entire phrase you enter as a complete unit, rather than the component words.
Subject Headings are terms that are assigned to items to group them. An example is cars - you could also call them autos, automobiles, or even more specific labels like SUVs or vans. But if you found out that the sources you are searching use automobiles as the Subject Heading, you wouldn't have to worry about searching each related term (Bobish & Jacobson, 42). This next video will give you some information about using Subject Headings to advance your searches. You can mimic the tips and tricks used in the video when searching Southworth Library's catalog and research databases.
Narrowing a search
Sometimes your keywords are too broad, and you find too much material. For example, if I search for the term "basketball" in the library catalog (SLEUTH), I get 64 books. That's too much! I need to be more specific.
There are two ways to narrow a search. One is to generate more specific keywords. For instance, "National Basketball Association" is more specific than "basketball."
Another way to narrow is to add a second concept. We do this using the word AND (because many databases will otherwise presume that you want to search as a phrase, such as "National Basketball Association," which is really a single concept). I can think of lots of ways to do this with basketball, for instance:
From Bobish & Jacobson's The Information Literacy User's Guide (pg. 35)
Try using this worksheet to think about your topic and determine search keywords.
From Bobish & Jacobson's The Information Literacy User's Guide (pgs. 31-32)
As you work through your research, it is very important to be self-reflective. Try to answer the following questions as you determine the best keywords for your searches:
Student Learning Outcomes:
Information Literacy Standards:
On a discussion board (or in class), write your topic and list at least three keywords. Now, respond to three of your classmates topics with three new keywords.
As an alternative, this could be done as a free-writing exercise.
Please consider sharing your students' work with Rachel Santose (santoser@canton.edu) for assessment purposes.
Fill out the handout below with your topic, keywords, and broader and narrower keywords.
Please consider sharing your students' work with Rachel Santose (santoser@canton.edu) for assessment purposes.
Use an online tool like bubbl.us or a piece of paper to brainstorm keywords related to your topic. Start with your topic in the center and begin writing down synonyms and other terms related to your topic. Each keyword you come up with will open the door to new terms, so keep pushing yourself to come up with as many as possible. Think about the kinds of terms that different types of people -- news reporters, professors, politicians, friends, etc. -- would use to describe your topic. Don't quit until you have at least a dozen keywords/phrases written down.
Not sure what this would look like? See an example.
Please consider sharing your students' work with Rachel Santose (santoser@canton.edu) for assessment purposes.