This short module will help you develop effective keywords to use as you conduct research in library resources.
A keyword, very simply, is an important word. In the context of academic research, keywords are words used to describe the main topics, concepts, people, or places we are researching. They are the most important words or phrases for your research question, but they are not full statements or questions.
Before we discuss how to develop keywords, let's take a moment to think about why we need to use keywords in library resources. Library resources (such as databases) allow you to access specialized content that is not widely available.
For example, it is much easier to access academic journal articles through library resources than through a basic internet search. However, library databases are built differently than internet browsers, so you must employ different strategies when using them. One main difference is that an internet browser can handle entire sentences or questions typed into its search bar whereas library databases have a much harder time processing the complex structure of a sentence. Therefore, we need to use keywords when we are searching in library resources.
To develop keywords for your research, you need to have a topic in mind. If you have a research question, that is especially helpful.
Our example research question is: "Does daily social media use impact the attention span of students?"
The first step in developing keywords is to identify the most important words or phrases from your topic or research question. One thing to keep in mind is that words like "impact", "effect", and "cause" are used so commonly by researchers that they are sometimes not useful as keywords. Also, try to avoid searching for filler words such as: what, of, the, etc. The most important words from our research question might be “social media”, “attention span”, and “college students.”
The second step in developing keywords is to think of synonyms for the most important words you identified in the first step, because people often use different words to refer to the same concept. For example, synonyms for our important words might include “social networking platforms”, “attentiveness”, and “undergraduates.”
The third step in developing keywords is to think about what words or phrases might be related to the words you identified in the previous steps. Even though these words or phrases may not mean exactly the same thing as your initial keywords, they may explore similar concepts or bring in other valuable research areas. One way to come up with related words is to think about your research question in both broader and in more specific terms.
For example, part of our research question is broad, “social media” could refer to any number of platforms or sites. To make our search more specific we could choose a single platform, such as TikTok or Instagram, to search instead of using social media which would capture any social media platform or site.
More advanced researchers can combine keywords by using Boolean operator words "and" "or", and "not." Boolean operator words are not always necessary to search in library resources, but they allow you to be more specific in your search.
AND: Narrows your search so that all search terms must be present in your results. For example, you could search for Instagram AND “college students" to return results that mention both of those concepts.
OR: Broadens a search by retrieving results that contain at least one of the specified terms your search. For example, you could search for Instagram OR Facebook to return results that mention either Instagram or Facebook.
NOT: Excludes a specific keyword for your search results. For example, you could search for "social media" NOT Instagram to return results that will have social media, but not results that mention Instagram.
Another way to quickly specify or narrow your search is to use quotation marks around a phrase, quote, or title you are trying to find. For example, if you are searching for "social media" AND "college students" put each phrase in quotation marks. This tells the library resource that you need it to return only that specific phrase with the words in that specific order.
Pro tip: Do not put your entire research question into the search box with quotation marks.
As you search, note which keywords return useful results and what new words appear frequently in your search results. You can and should add new words and phrases to your keyword list as you go along, just like you can and should remove words that are not as useful. Be creative as you think about potential keywords and don't be discouraged if your first keywords don't return the results you need. If you get frustrated, always remember you can chat with a librarian for help.