Step 1: Identify Keywords

Use KEYWORDS that capture different aspects of your topic as SEARCH TERMS to find relevant sources. 

For example, if I want to learn about home ownership and the American Dream, I could search "home ownership" AND "American Dream"

Here are a few tips about using keywords:

• Put phrases in quotes. Ex: "gender roles"

• Use AND to connect key words and focus a topic. Ex: "gender roles" AND parenting

• Use OR to capture synonyms or related terms. Ex: ("housing" OR "homes")

• Use * (asterisk- shift 8) to truncate your keyword and search for forms of the word. Ex: hous* = houses or housing

• Keep track of useful keywords you come across as you research! They represent ideas and they might be useful search terms.

• Tip: Look for suggested keywords at the ends of reference articles, in the "Related Terms," "Cross-References" and "See Also" sections. 

Step 2: Use Keywords Effectively in Library Databases

Find more online research help in our How Do I guides.