To identify the main concepts in your research question, first write out your question. Then identify 2-4 key concepts your question addresses. What words in your research question are the most important? It might help you to imagine the ideal article that would want to read about your topic. What words would probably be in the title or text of that article? What words are just fluff?
After you have identified the main concepts in your question, you need to find other words to express those concepts. Why? Because computers are smart, but not that smart. They won’t do any interpretation for you, which means that it will spit out only what you put in. So, for example, if your question is, “How can the Black Student Union increase membership?” and I only search on the concept “Black Student Union,” I will miss out on relevant articles that use the broader term “student organizations.” For this reason, you need to think of synonyms and related terms that express, or nearly express, the same concepts that you are searching.
I’ll be the first to admit it: Brainstorming keywords is a pain. When you’re just starting, it’s hard to predict the best language to use. This is why you will have to try multiple searches. Through this process, you will learn what are the best terms to use.
Now let’s combine your terms into a search statement! You will combine your terms using Boolean Operators: “AND,” “OR,” and “NOT.”
Adding an "AND" between search terms will help you narrow your search. For example, if I combine the terms, “minority students” AND “student organizations” AND participation, in an article database, I will only find articles that contain all of these terms and phrases in them.
“NOT” also narrows your search by excluding terms. It can be helpful for disambiguation purposes. For example, if I were in an astronomy class, and I was studying Pluto, I might search for “Pluto NOT Disney” to eliminate results about the cartoon dog.
“OR,” on the other hand, broadens your search. If I search for, “Black Student Union” OR “Student organizations” OR “extra-curricular activities” OR “student clubs” you will find articles that have at least one of these terms in it.
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