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Research Basics: Keywords & Search Strings

This guide leads users through the research process, from selecting a topic to finding and evaluating credible sources.

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CREDO Reference's Mind Map is a visual tool that helps users "discover connections between key terms by mapping close relationships."

Keywords & Search Strings

Formulating keywords and search strings are essential skills to finding relevant information related to your research topic. Click on the tabs below to learn more about brainstorming keywords and using Boolean operators to construct keywords.

Brainstorming Keywords

Keywords are the words and/or phrases that describe your research topic. They represent the main concepts of a search query and are crucial to the discovery of relevant content.

When brainstorming keywords:

  • Identify the main concepts of your topic
  • Brainstorm synonyms that could also be used describe your topic (car, automobile, sedan, etc.)
  • Spell out abbreviations

Example of keywords

Topic: The effects of climate change on polar bears.

Possible keywords: climate change, global warming, artic, sea level rise, weather, greenhouse gas, bears, polar bears

"How Library Stuff Works: How to Choose Keywords" by McMaster University Libraries is licensed under CC BY

Constructing Search Strings

A search string is a combination of keywords, phrases, and operators that acts as a set of instructions that tells search engines what to look for. Search strings are used to broaden and refine searches to find more relevant results.

The major parts of a search string are:

  • Keywords: words and/or phrases about the research topic
  • Phrases: group of words enclosed in quotation marks, so the words are found in that specific order (e.g. "data analysis")
  • Operators: special words or symbols that modify the search

Example of a search string

("polar bears") AND (climate change OR global warming OR greenhouse gas)

Phrase Searching

"Tips and Tricks: Phrase Searching" by NC State University Libraries is licensed under CC BY NC SA 3.0

Boolean Operators

"How Library Stuff Works: Boolean Operators (AND OR NOT)" by McMaster Libraries is licensed under CC BY

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Tips & Tricks

Here are some best practices when searching for information to help yield relevant results:

  • Keep it short and sweet. Long phrases or entire sentences do not work as well in most databases as they do in search engines, like Google. For the best results, limit your search terms to 2-3 words.
  • Break out the thesaurus. If you find too few or no results, brainstorm synonyms for your search terms, like car and automobile.
  • Be specific. If you find too many results, include specific language in your search terms to pare them down.
  • Use the search limiters. In the Advanced Search field, narrow your search by selection publication dates, author, subject, and more.
  • Use Boolean operators or quotation marks. Use Boolean operators (AND, OR and NOT) to link search terms (i.e., obesity AND children; oil NOT petroleum). Use quotation makers to limit results and search an exact phrase, like "Alice in Wonderland."

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