|
|
|
Developing a Research Strategy
Brainstorm Search Terms
Electronic databases cannot think. They match exact search terms and do not recognize synonyms for your terms. For example, searching
for the term "grades" will not retrieve results using the
synonym "academic success." To avoid missing relevant results, brainstorm for
synonyms of your concepts.
Search Terms Example -- Synonyms
For the research question "How does having a job affect college students' grades?", you can brainstorm multiple
synonyms for each concept. If your concepts do not have exact synonyms, think of slightly narrower or broader terms.
|
| concept 1: |
college students |
synonyms: |
university students,
freshmen, first-year students |
| concept 2: |
jobs |
synonyms: |
employment, work,
occupation, vocation, labor |
| concept 3: |
grades |
synonyms: |
g.p.a., achievement,
academic success, graduation rates
|
Brainstorming Synonyms For Your Search Terms
When brainstorming for search terms ask yourself, "Might someone writing about my topic use different terms?" If so, use those synonyms in your searches. For example, someone writing about binge drinking might call it "alcohol consumption."
On the other hand, sometimes there is only one word to describe your topic. For example, there are few true synonyms for "schizophrenia."
If you are having trouble thinking of synonyms for your concepts, use a thesaurus or go online and use resources such as Thesaurus.com to search for synonyms.
|
|
