Keywords: First Step to Searching
Keywords are the first (and, often, most skipped) step in your research. We can talk about the same issues using completely different words; if you only identify one of those words to search, you might miss some key research! Searches for a computer vs. a Dell vs. a desktop will get you very different results, after all. Included here are a few ways to get started, depending on what feels best to you.
Perhaps you generate your keywords (and alternate keywords) in the concept map. Or perhaps, you prefer to generate a cleaner looking list, like the one below. It really is what works best for your brain and research topic. Just make sure you're writing it down!
Developing Keywords
One way to start your research is with a few rounds of brainstorming using the guiding worksheet below to create a large word bank you can go back to throughout your searches.
Example conflict: The Vietnam War (1955-1975) > Vietnam War = basic starting term
First, ask yourself: why did you select this conflict to study? What drew you to it or what do you know about it already? You might come up with good additional keywords to use in your searching from this approach alone. Then, you can look for related words in a dictionary, thesaurus, or encyclopedia if you need more underst
Maybe in this example, I first was thinking about public perception of the war and the peace protests I knew about, which led me to thinking about the civil rights movement at the same time, which led me to think about keywords that could help me do research on opinions about the war and its larger social effects as a conflict.
Then, I could create a keyword list to go back to that looks something like this:
| Related to Vietnam War |
|
United States Military Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower Pres. John F. Kennedy Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson Pres. Richard M. Nixon Viet Cong Guerrilla Warfare / Trench Warfare The US Anti-war Vietnam Movement Anti-war Protests Civil Rights Movement, MLK 1967 Speech My Lai Massacre Tet Offensive The Paris Peace Accords |
Especially when you are just starting research, you may not know which word will be best for a particular database or the field of study until you start looking. Give yourself options!
Try it yourself using the worksheet below.
Concept Mapping
Concept mapping is just one approach to keyword development & brainstorming that is a bit more visual than strategies on the keyword worksheet. Besides that, this can help you map out how your paper could go to be sure you cover all areas that you deem necessary.
Example from CUNY Guttman Community College
- Concept Map PlanningThis is a fillable worksheet to help you create key words and phrases that are more useful to your searches and develop your topic more.
- Blank Concept MapIf you want to have a space to begin your concept mapping, use this document as you work through the worksheet above.
If you get stuck coming up with some alternates, a thesaurus or dictionary might be a good place to start & get more comfortable.
Just remember that connotation matters, so just because something is a synonym doesn't mean it's the right one for your search. A cottage in the forest sounds like a lovely vacation, but a cabin in the woods is a horror movie.
Use all the resources you can - maybe the library has an encyclopedia that would help you too!
