How to Research: A Tutorial
Select Keywords
Once you’ve developed your research question or thesis statement, you need to select keywords.
- Identify the significant words and phrases that can be used in searches to describe the information that you are looking for.
- Also think of synonyms for your keywords. If your initial keywords do not return useful results, try searching for some synonyms.
A keyword is a significant word (or phrase) to describe the topic you are researching. WARNING: A keyword search only finds the word, not necessarily the definition you mean. So a search for the keyword "hurricane" may retrieve sources about a windy storm, an NHL hockey team, a fancy lamp, or an adult beverage!
A synonym, in this case, is a word or phrase that has a similar meaning to your keyword. It does not have to have the same exact definition.
