Keywords are the terms you enter in the search box when using search tools such as UQ Library Search and library databases. Appropriate search terms are essential for good results.
In this section you will learn how to:
- Identify appropriate keywords
- Combine keywords to create an effective search
Identifying keywords
Effective search results rely on carefully chosen keywords.
Poor search results are usually caused by inappropriate keywords or incorrect spelling (typos)! The search tool matches the keywords you enter in the search box with words that appear in the title or text of the article or document, so to find relevant articles you should try to anticipate the terminology you would expect to find in research articles. Here are some guidelines to help you identify effective keywords.
- Look at your research question and highlight the main topic words (keywords).
- Brainstorm additional words or phrases that could be used as substitutes for the keywords, ie they express similar meaning (synonyms). Not all the relevant literature on a topic will use the same terminology.
- Terms should be specific not general.
- Use scholarly or professional terminology rather than everyday language.
- Background reading in the subject area will familiarise you with appropriate terminology for the topic you are researching
- Use single words or commonly used phrases such as "economic development".
- Avoid sentences.
- Create a table of keywords and potential synonyms (related words) as shown below. Think of your own examples.
Q. What is the impact of urban development on the water quality of Moreton Bay.
| Keywords | Possible synonyms (related terms) |
|---|---|
| urban development | population, industry, pollution, contamination, runoff, urban environment |
| water quality | environmental impact |
| Moreton Bay | Brisbane, Brisbane River, estuary, port |
Search strategies
Search strategies
Keywords work more effectively in a search if you combine them using 'connecting' words.
urban development AND "water quality" AND Moreton Bay
AND between keywords finds both terms. You will get fewer results but they will be more relevant
Double quotation marks around phrases or names will find an exact match for that string of letters (phrase or name). This improves the focus e.g. "water quality"
Asterisk * after the root of a word finds the word and its variants, eg environment* = environments, environmental, environmentally.
Tips for effective searching:
- Be precise in your choice of keywords. Remember keywords match with actual words in the article.
- Avoid using phrases not commonly used - might retrieve zero results
- Avoid entering your search as a sentence
- Check your spelling
- If your search finds too few or no results it might be that your search terms are too specific. Try again using fewer keywords, different terms or change the combination of terms.
Exercise:
Log into Scopus and run the following searches. Compare the results.
"urban development" AND "water quality" AND "Moreton Bay "
and
"Moreton Bay" AND water quality
Dropping the term "urban development" and removing the quotes around the phrase "water quality" as in the second search broadens the search parameters and lists more results. To provide the focus you need you can then search within the results for articles that contain the term 'urban" .
Note:
- Look for articles that relate to your topic and support the assertions you wish to make.
- Don't expect to find articles that correspond exactly to your question exactly - it is unlikely you'll find them.