What method should Anna use to organize her keywords? (select all that apply).
Identifying essential keywords for your research question
The art of finding your keys
OBJECTIVES
- Break down your research question into keywords
- Find synonyms and translations for keywords
QUIZ
Match each of the keywords in Anna’s subject: “Does the SIRT1 protein play a role in the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease?” to the description that best applies.
Disease
SIRT1 protein
“Alzheimer’s Disease”
Psychological disorders
ADAM10 gene
Too specific at this point
Precise scientific term
Off-subject
Too general
Most common English usage
Thesauri are useful for finding synonyms when looking for keywords in a discipline’s database.
KEY POINTS
You have undoubtedly found yourself in the same situation as Anna who doesn’t know how to choose the right keywords to use in search tools and thus find the sources she needs for her work. A good method consists of the following steps.
- Outline the concepts for your research question.
- For each concept, search for keywords, synonyms, and translations with the help of dictionaries and discipline-specific resources like a thesaurus.
- For an overview, make a mind map or a table to unify your concepts and keywords.
FOR FURTHER STUDY
- Les cartes d'organisation d'idées : une façon efficace de structurer sa pensée / Nancy Margulies (2005)
