Fundamental Research Skills

Finding Alternate Keywords, aka Synonyms

• brainstorm related or umbrella terms; use the textbook, course syllabi, lecture notes, and reference sources (dictionaries or encyclopedias)
•  is there another way to describe the topic: broader, related, narrower, more scientific, or less scientific?
• consider using acronyms, but pay attention to those having more than one meaning

Using Synonyms in the Library Databases

• link synonyms with brackets eg. ("global warming" OR "climate change") will retrieve both phrases

• in results,   look at suggested subjects, alternate terms (CINAHL), autocomplete (Proquest Central)  related subjects, subject headings 

• Try linking acronyms with the full name  e.g.( IT OR “Information Technology”)     (HR OR "Human Resources")