HONR 111

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 a concept map. Or perhaps, you prefer to generate a cleaner looking list, like in the example in the Keyword Brainstorm section. 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 them down!

Take this keyword development tutorial to learn how to pull keywords from your research question for easier searching!

Example Research Question: "How does media affect voting in young people?"

Keywords: media, voting, young people

Brainstorm some of the different ways we can think about these key concepts. Those alternate keywords can be synonyms, broader, or more narrow terms.

For example:

Media might generate a list like:

• television
  • news
  • talk shows
• internet
• social media
  • twitter / x
  • facebook
  • instagram
• social networking

Voting could generate a list like: 

• political campaigns
  • advertisement
• elections
• vote
• civic engagement
• polls

And young people might generate a list like this: 

• students
  • college students
  • undergraduates
  • high school students
• youth
• young adults
• emerging adults
• gen z/millennials
• 18-24 year olds

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 the term "voting" in the center of the concept map with the following four keywords and ideas that stem from the central issue of voting;

• candidates
• voters
• single issue voters
• the question "how?"

From each of these new ideas more keywords may stem out.