Write your research question or statement. Example: How does social media influence the communication of today’s college students?

CRAFTING A SAVVY SEARCH STRATEGYPart 1: Identify Key Concepts and Brainstorm Keywords for a database search

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UCLA Library Inquiry Labs j.mp/inquirylabs

Identify the key concepts in your statement and list them below, or circle them above. Example: social media, communication, college students __________________ ____________________ ____________________ Brainstorm related words for each of your main concepts. Think of synonyms, more specific words/ideas, or broader words/ideas. If you are having trouble brainstorming, try talking with friends, classmates, your instructor, or consult a thesaurus and/or encyclopedia. Looking at the language used in your class readings also helps. Key Concept 1 Key Concept 2 Key Concept 3 !

________________ ____________________ ____________________ !________________ ____________________ ____________________ !________________ ____________________ ____________________

Example: Social media can have synonyms such as: online social networks, etc., narrower terms such as: Facebook, blogs, twitter, etc., and broader terms such as: internet, online, etc.

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What’s next?🚀

Create more key terms! You can also brainstorm acronyms, plural and singular words, regional and historic variations, and more! Watch “Crafting A Savvy Search Strategy: Part 2”

Start searching in a database or search engine Come visit us in the Inquiry Labs for more help. Bring your key terms, and we’ll help you search for sources for your paper!