Expert Research Help from IUB Libraries

A KEYWORD expresses a central concept or idea about a topic. When you are using Google, you are keyword searching.
**NOTE: When searching using library resources (databases, IUCAT, etc), you may need to be more selective with keywords.

IDENTIFYING KEYWORDS

• Identify the major concepts of your topic and think of keywords related to those concepts
• Think of synonyms and related words for your keywords - sometimes databases can be picky
• Consider what words the database will best understand

For a project on the environment consequences of fracking, keywords may include

• Fracking
• Hydraulic fracking
• Natural gas drilling
• environment
• Polluation
• Global warming
• Climate change

• Be Concise: Begin with only 2-3 terms and avoid long phrases
• Synonyms: If your first term doesn't work, try a synonym or a broader term
• Database Search Results: Do a quick database search and see what relevant terms appear in your search results. Look in the titles, abstracts, and lists of subject terms provided on most databases.
• Subject terms are the words/phrases databases use to organize the resources they hold.
• Background Research: Do some background research to learn terms and vocabulary often used when discussing that topic. Background research doesn't have to be scholarly - do a Google search to educate yourself to improve your keywords