Generating keywords for your searches
To come up with keywords for your research, consider doing the following:
1. Think carefully about your topic. Write it out in a sentence or two.
2. Circle the key concepts in your topic sentences.
3. Brainstorm synonyms or related terms for your key concepts. One approach to brainstorming is to create a concept map. You can do this with simple pen and paper or via free online programs such as MindMup or Bubbl.us.
4. These are now your search terms. Experiment with different combinations of the terms as you search in databases.
5. When you successfully find sources that are relevant to your search, pay attention to the keywords and subject terms in the database record and the source itself. This may lead you to additional sources.
Thinking critically about references
- Critically Analyzing Information Sources: Critical Appraisal and AnalysisProvides guidelines for thinking about and evaluating a variety of sources.
- OWL Guide to Evaluating SourcesAn overview of evaluating resources brought to you by Purdue's Online Writing Lab (OWL).
- Academic Reading StrategiesProvides tips for deeper understanding of what you read.
Subject Librarian
Ally Wood
she/her
Contact:
Bertrand Library
Research Help Area RM 113
Email: ally.wood@bucknell.edu
Phone: (570) 577-3235
Text the Library: @ 570-487-3898
Office Hours: M-F by appointment
Research Help Area RM 113
Email: ally.wood@bucknell.edu
Phone: (570) 577-3235
Text the Library: @ 570-487-3898
Office Hours: M-F by appointment
Subjects: Animal Behavior, Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Engineering, Environmental Studies, Geology, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Medicine, Physics and Astronomy