LibGuides: Introduction to Research: Searching with Keywords

Social Networking Tip

Struggling to identify #keywords based on your #topic?

Try this idea... which words would you #hashtag if it was a #social network feed?

Identify Keywords

Keyword Chart
If the keywords you initially choose do not give good results, try others on your list, try a different search strategy, or Ask a Librarian for help. Use the Word file (above) to document keywords related to your topic. Keep it by your side when you start your research.

What are Keywords?

Keywords are important words/concepts found in your research question or thesis.

A quick and dirty way to pull keywords from a research question/thesis is to choose the most important nouns; all other words are irrelevant.

Using keywords to search will always retrieve more results than phrases or sentences.

Image source: Producer. CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons

How to Generate a Keyword

Please use the link below to access the University of Texas Keyword Generator

Image source: Powernowllc. CC0 1.0. Wikimedia Commons.

Text word generator

Thank You

My thanks to Lori Micho at Johnson & Wales University and Donna Miller at Lebanon Valley College for their assistance in sharing information for this LibGuide.