Academic Guides: Keyword Searching: Finding Articles on Your Topic: Connect Keywords (2024)

Use Boolean terms

Type in one concept per search box.

The advanced search in most databases defaults to automatically use AND between the search boxes. Leave the default. The database will find articles that include both concepts.

Use OR inside the search boxes to add synonyms or related terms to the search. Because the database will only search for the exact terms entered, using OR helps find the different ways an author may have phrased the concept.

For best results, only use the OR within a search box. The AND is placed automatically between the search boxes.

An example search for violence on television using boolean terms might look like this:

First search box: TV or television or mass media

Second search box: violence or aggression

Academic Guides: Keyword Searching: Finding Articles on Your Topic: Connect Keywords (1)

Academic Guides: Keyword Searching: Finding Articles on Your Topic: Connect Keywords (2024)

FAQs

How to search for articles using keywords? ›

Keyword Searching: Finding Articles on Your Topic: Select Keywords
  1. Introduction.
  2. Decide on a Topic.
  3. Identify Relevant Databases.
  4. Select Keywords. Introduction to keywords. Turn your topic into keywords. Avoid abstract or implied concepts. Synonyms & antonyms. Abbreviations.
  5. Connect Keywords.
  6. Set Up Your Search.

How can I pick the best keywords to use when researching your topic? ›

First, identify the major concepts from your topic.
  1. Write out a brief description (1 or 2 sentences) of your research topic. ...
  2. Identify the most important 2 - 4 words from your research question. ...
  3. For each key concept, make a list of other words with the same or related meanings.
Jun 6, 2023

How do you search effectively with keywords? ›

The simplest and most effective way to search for something specific is to use quote marks around a phrase or name to search for those exact words in that exact order. For instance, searching for Joe Bloggs will show results with both Joe and Bloggs but not necessarily placed sequentially.

What is an example of a keyword search? ›

Search Intent
Intent TypeDescriptionKeyword Example
NavigationalThe user wants to find a specific webpage or site“de beers diamonds”
CommercialThe user wants to research brands, products, or services“moissanite vs diamond”
TransactionalThe user wants to take action (e.g., make a purchase)“diamond hoop earrings”
1 more row
Mar 19, 2024

Why are keywords important in searching information? ›

Keywords are words or phrases that users type into search engines to find relevant content for their queries. Because keywords come from search queries, incorporating these terms into your content strategy helps search engines rank your website pages and users find your content when looking for it.

What are keywords for academic papers? ›

Keywords are important words/concepts found in your research question or thesis. A quick and dirty way to pull keywords from a research question/thesis is to choose the most important nouns; all other words are irrelevant. Using keywords to search will always retrieve more results than phrases or sentences.

What is the most important thing in keyword research? ›

The most important thing to look for when doing keyword research is relevance. Here's why relevance is key and how it should guide your keyword research: 1. Relevance to Your Content or Business: The keywords you target should be highly relevant to your website, content, or business niche.

What are the 3 steps to keyword searching? ›

Master keyword research in 3 simple steps
  1. Step 1: Discovering keyword opportunities. One of the most crucial steps in the keyword research process is discovering the right keywords to target. ...
  2. Step 2: Evaluating and selecting the best keywords. 2.1 Understand the metrics. ...
  3. Step 3: Targeting your keywords effectively.

How to start keyword research? ›

How to find keyword ideas
  1. Brainstorm “seed” keywords. Seed keywords are the starting point of your keyword research process. ...
  2. See what keywords your competitors rank for. ...
  3. Use keyword research tools. ...
  4. Study your niche.
Sep 13, 2022

What is a keyword and example? ›

Keywords are the words and phrases that people type into search engines to find what they're looking for. For example, if you were looking to buy a new jacket, you might type something like “mens leather jacket” into Google. Even though that phrase consists of more than one word, it's still a keyword.

How do you find keywords in answers? ›

Keywords you underline are usually nouns, a group of nouns, verbs etc. except articles (a, an, the), prepositions (for, in, at etc.) and others. An extremely important strategy of underlining keywords is to identify the focus of the question, especially in MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions).

What's the first thing you should do before you start doing keyword research? ›

Before you jump into researching individual keywords, it's important to think about the topics that are most relevant to your target customer. These are the general themes related to your business and your product. A SaaS pricing tool, for example, would look at topics like subscription revenue and churn.

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