This can be in the form of a question or a sentence. Just think about what specifically you want to find out, and write it down in one sentence.
Look at your research statement. What are the main words or concepts? They will likely be nouns, but they can include phrases. Highlight them.
Look at the words/phrases you highlighted and think of synonyms or alternate phrases to describe those concepts. Reference sources can help with this. Scholarly articles often use words that we wouldn’t use in ordinary life.
Pick two or three words/phrases from your list. Put each concept in its own search box.
Try different combinations of words to get different results. Add more words to narrow down your results. Look at the “Subject” headings for each article to see what keywords are being used the most.
This can be in the form of a question or a sentence. Just think about what you specifically want to find out, and write it down in one sentence.
Look at your research question. What are the main words or concepts? They will likely be nouns, but they can also include phrases. Highlight them.
Look at the words/phrases you highlighted and think of synonyms or alternate phrases to describe those concepts. Scholarly articles often use words that we wouldn’t use in ordinary life. Doing some background research (or "pre-search") can give you some terms and phrases that are specific to the field.
Pick two or three words/phrases from your list. Put each concept in its own search box.
Try different combinations of words to get different results. Add more words to narrow down your results. Look at the “Subject” headings for each article to see what keywords are being used the most. Use the filters on the left side of your search results list to target a specific date range or source type.
Always click on "Choose Databases" and add any relevant databases to your search. This will allow you to find more articles on your topic.
