If you have done your background reading and have an idea of the issues on which you want to focus, then you're ready to dive in and explore what experts are saying about it. You'll want to look at different aspects of your topic to give your paper breadth and depth.
Once you have formulated some preliminary research questions, you can begin to search for answers. Most research will begin with you typing some words into a box to begin finding information. But what words should you use?
Formal search tools like library catalogs and research databases often use a controlled vocabulary – formally established subject headings or descriptors.
Below is a great video from the University of Washington describing the importance of controlled vocabulary and providing some great hints on how to identify the the most effective search terms for your topic.
Sample Focused Topic: How can stem cells be used in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease?
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Concept one |
stem cells |
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Concept two |
treatment |
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Concept three |
Alzheimer’s disease |
When brainstorming synonyms, think about how other people might describe these concepts. What words would a reporter use? How about a scientist or doctor? Often using more scholarly terms will retrieve more scholarly resources. Think of exact synonyms, as well as slightly narrower (more specific) or broader (more general) terms.
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stem cells |
stem cells; embryonic stem cells; neural stem cells |
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Treatment |
treatment; cure; therapy; benefits; |
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Alzheimer’s Disease |
Alzheimer’s disease; dementia, diseases; disorders |
This strategy allows you to work backwards: find relevant articles by performing a search using the terms you already know. Once you find some articles that are on topic, examine them to identify the subject terms/descriptors connected to these articles. This is an efficient way to figure out the "lingo" of any given database.
The discipline of psychology has a great tool called, the Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms that you can use in MJC's east campus library. The thesaurus shows you words that different search engines and research tools use to organize their information to make it searchable. You can also use it to discover terms that are related to your topic in case you need to broaden or narrow your search.
See also the 2024 Summer Update to the thesaurus.
You're busy, so any strategy that will make your work faster and produce better results is welcome. Did you know that you can use different search techniques in library catalogs, article databases, and the Web to find just what you need quickly?
Use the relevant articles you find to help you discover additional literature on your topic:
Adding a few search techniques to your search will help you search more quickly and effectively.
Check out the short videos below introducing you to some of the most common techniques you should master: Narrowing your Search, Boolean Searching, and Using Subject Headings.
This video, created by The University of Guelph McLaughlin Library, is being shared unchanged using the CC By-NC-SA 4.0 license.
YouTube video on effective search strategies from EmilyatChemLib. | Time - 3:03 mins.
Video from the Wellington Medical and Health Sciences Library. | Time - 1:56 min.
After you've done your background reading and understand the basics about your topic AND after you've created some research questions to direct your exploration, you're ready to dig deeper and seek answers to your research questions.
The literature you find in articles is generally much more up-to-date than the information in books because periodicals (magazines, journals, newspapers) are published much more quickly. Also, you'll find results of psychology studies reported in articles published in scholarly journals.
Using our library databases will help you find current research on your topic.
Click the button below to access our Articles & Databases page and see Psychology & Social Sciences databases.
Use Google to find scholarly literature available on the web.
Did you know you can:
Learn more about Google Scholar at Google Scholar Search Tips