ENC 1102 (Robbins) : Keyword Worksheet

Choosing Your Keywords

An effective database search depends on a good choice of keywords (you cannot type a question into the database). How do you pull out keywords from your research question or statement to use in your database search?

1. Think about your topic. Write it down in the form of a research question or statement.
2. Circle the most important ideas or concepts in your question or statement. These become your keywords.
3. Think of some synonyms or related terms that you can use for your keywords. These new keywords will come in handy when you are searching.
4. Connect your keywords together using the word AND. By adding the word AND, you are telling the database that you want all of these keywords to show up in your search results.
   1. Try changing your search by substituting some of your related terms or synonyms with other keywords in your search.

Here's an example:

The use of technology in the classroom improves student learning

Synonyms:

Technology OR Computers OR Cell phones

Classroom OR Education OR College

Student learning OR Student success

Possible Search strategies:

Technology AND Classroom AND Student learning

Computers AND Education AND Student success

Cell phones AND Classroom AND Student learning

Technology AND College AND Classroom AND Student success