Identifying Keywords
Developing a list of keywords for your project is vital for your research, note-taking, and searching. A keyword is simply an important word or short phrase relating to your research that you use to search in databases. A keywords can be name, place, organization, or subject.
As you begin to research your topic, you will discover additional keywords that describe your subject. Some words may no longer be in popular use ("Great War" for World War I), but may at one time have been standard. Such words or phrases will be important if you attempt to find older resources.
As you search and find new materials, keep track of words and phrases that appear in titles or in the subject fields of books or articles as shown below. They can serve as new keywords to use as you search. It also may be helpful to consult a thesaurus for additional help in brainstorming keywords.
If you get too many or too few results with your initial searches, check the following:
- Make sure all your terms are spelled correctly. Many library database do not have an autocorrect or spelling suggestion feature, so even simple error can impact results.
- Search with single words or phrases no longer than 2-3 words per line (or separate each idea with the word AND), with each line expressing one idea. Library databases do not recognize questions or sentences. Comparisons:
| Search | Results |
 |
17 |
 |
67,233 |