![Introduction](button84.jpg)
![Chapters](button79.jpg)
![Worksheets](button73.jpg)
![Glossary](button76.jpg)
![Links](button8A.jpg)
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2. Topics
f. Selecting Key Words and Concepts Prepare for searching
by identifying the central concepts in your research question.
Computers are programmed to match strings of characters and
spaces and do not often understand the natural language we use with each other.
They can't guess what you mean, don't "read" subtexts, and are easily confused
by ambiguity, so clarify for them what you will be looking for. Focus only on
essential concepts.
"media
coverage of 9/11" |
Media cover events. Unless the media
caused the event, this term is unnecessary. |
advantages of
home schooling over public schools |
Value words like "favorite," "advantage," or "better" are
not useful if you need to gather evidence to help you
make a decision or develop a solution. Don't just grab an
opinion or the "right" answer off someone else's shelf. |
dissertations about
bioethics |
Many databases and search engines are programmed to ignore
common words that don't impact a search. These are called "stopwords"
and typically include terms like "the," "from," "about," "when,"
etc. |
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![a. Overview](button21.jpg)
![b. Basic Tips](button1.jpg)
![c. Asking a Question](button4.jpg)
![d. Broaden a Topic](button17.jpg)
![e. Narrow a Topic](buttonA.jpg)
![f. Keywords & Concepts](buttonD.jpg)
![g. Vocabulary](button18.jpg)
Remember: |
Many words have different
meanings in different contexts.
For example, Muhammad Ali
was a boxer.
The Boxer Rebellion
took place in China.
Give the computer enough
information to tell the difference. |
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