InfoRhode - How Can I Develop an Effective Search Strategy?

Once your research question is formulated and some of the main concepts are identified by concept mapping, you can begin to develop a search strategy that will help you when you actually go to find information on your topic. The following example shows how search terms can be created from research questions and concepts:

Suppose the topic for your paper is the connection between smoking and depression among teenagers.

First your research question: “Is there a connection between cigarette smoking and depression among teenagers?”

What are the major concepts in this question?

• smoking
• depression
• teenagers

What are some possible synonyms or related terms for each of these concepts?

• smoking - cigarettes, tobacco, nicotine
• depression - mental health, mood
• teenagers - teens, adolescents, youth, high school students, college students

These concepts and synonyms will become your search terms. Here is how it will look on the Search Strategy Work Sheet:

Search Strategy Worksheet

Search Question: (Please write a sentence in the form of a question describing your topic.)

What is the connection between smoking and depression among teenagers?

Major Concepts: (List as many as apply.)

Smoking
Depression
Teenagers

SEARCH TERMS