Library databases try to match the terms you search for - your keywords - with the words that appear in a book or article's title, summary, or full text. You need to select the most important keywords to use as search terms. You should never search for your entire research question or thesis statement.
Brainstorm ideas to move from a vague or broad concept, like criticism, to a narrower topic. Scholarly articles are very specific, since the authors did research to answer their focused question, then wrote about the results.
Think of synonyms, broader terms, narrower terms, or similar ideas to search most effectively for these very specific sources. This will also give you more options if your initial search does not return the results you expected. Brainstorming keywords can happen at any point during the research process - you may come up with some at the beginning, and then discover more during your research.
This chart outlines how you might do this using the sample research question.
Sample Topic: How do married couples communicate when giving and receiving criticism?
Concept 1: "married couple" | Concept 2: communication | Concept 3: criticism |
spouse (a close synonym) | dialogue | criticize |
relationship (a broader term) | interchange | opinion |
wife (a more specific term) | "interpersonal communication" | judgment |
marriage (a related idea) | conversation | confilict |
Databases are collections of digital resources--like articles, eBooks, or streaming video--that are grouped together to make research easier. Some are grouped by purpose, some by subject, and others by source type. Use the keyword techniques above to search in these databases. Look for a checkbox for Peer-Reviewed to ensure you find scholarly research articles.