Thesaurus
If you get stuck coming up with some alternates, a thesaurus might be a good place to start. 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.
Keywords
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. Below are a couple of ways to approach coming up with alternate ways of thinking about your topic, though they aren't the only ways. This isn't an exercise to do in your head, write it out!
Perhaps you generate your keywords (and alternate keywords) in the concept map. Or perhaps, you prefer to generate a cleaner looking list, like on the right below. If you have a research question already started, you can identify your keywords and come up with alternate words, or you use that research question to start your concept map. It really is what works best for your brain! Just make sure you're coming up with multiple keywords and writing it down!
Keyword Exercise
Concept Mapping
For some people, it's easier to brainstorm in a more visual manner. You can use concept mapping in order to visualize your research.
In this example, we have voting in the center of the concept map with four keywords and ideas that stem from the central issue of voting; candidates, voters, single issue voters, and the question how? From each of these new ideas more keywords may stem out, for example, under single issue voters, those single issues are mapped out as health care, LGBTQ, guns, immigration, and women's rights.
