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Identify Keywords
Once you have a clear idea of what your topic is,
you can begin to identify keywords that will become
your search terms for locating relevant information.
Try the steps below.
"Discuss the effect of
television advertising on children"
Step 1.
Make a list of the main keywords for the topic
above. (Remember to remove all instruction words
e.g. “discuss”).
Check
your answers
Step 2.
Add to your list alternative keywords. The types
of things you need to consider are:
| |
Alternative Keywords |
| Related terms (synonyms) |
Words or phrases that have a similar meaning
e.g. dog, canine |
| Plurals |
More than one e.g. cat, cats |
| Spelling variations |
Variations in terminology and spelling are
important to consider as most databases are
international and often use American terms and
spelling. |
| Abbreviations (acronyms) |
WHO (World Health Organisation) |
| Broader terms |
More general terms |
| Narrower terms |
More specific terms |
Exercise : Try filling in the table below
Check your answers
Tips:
- Use a dictionary, thesaurus or encyclopedia
to help you identify alternative keywords. See
the library’s Resources
for assignments to find out what subject
specific dictionaries and encyclopedia’s
are available.
- Another search technique to consider is truncation.
Truncation is a computer search technique in which
a symbol is added to a word stem to substitute
any variations on that word. It is a great time
saving technique.
| Truncating |
will find... |
| child* |
child
child's
children
children's
childish |
| Advert* |
advert
advertise
advertising
advertisement
advertisements |
The truncation symbol used above is an asterisk
*. Symbols vary between databases. To find out what the truncation symbol is, check the "Tips" link next to the name of the database on the Library’s Databases pages.
Develop
your search strategy
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