When starting your research and throughout your research process, your goal should be to find better, more relevant keywords. Ebsco and Proquest databases provide you with several options for finding keywords.
- Search a reference source like Wikipedia or online encyclopedia. These sources will help you become familiar with the jargon of your topic. For example you may use the term robot and an expert in technology may use the term artificial intelligence.
- Search for synonyms or historical terms. Similar to the idea above, if you are researching a historical topic, you may need to think about terms that used to be commonplace but have since changed. For example, global warming used to be the phrase used for rising global temperatures, but more recently, research uses the term climate change.
- The databases will also help you to find keywords to use. Once you enter Ebsco or Proquest and type in your search terms, take a quick look at the results screen. Look at the subject terms for the articles that are relevant to your topic. For example, in the image below my initial search was public health AND addiction. After finding a relevant article I see other terms such as drug abuse (broader term), alcoholism (more specific term), and opioid abuse.
- Use the Subject tab. From the results screen, you can also open the Subject tab found on the left toolbar. When you open the Subject tab, you will find relevant keywords for your topic and will help you limit your results.
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