ESL 151 - READING AND COMPOSITION V - McGrath

At this point in your research, you should have your debate or issue topic. From your topic, you will put out the main ideas and concepts to use as keywords when you search.

Library databases work best when you choose keywords instead of using sentences or full research questions. When creating keywords think about:

• What are non-essential words? These words have no direct meaning for your topic. For example: the, Why, How, Does, and, etc.
• What are the big concepts or ideas involved? For example: COVID-19, pandemic, internet access, etc.
• Are there specific populations or people involved? For example: children, senior citizens, Black women, etc.
• Is there a specific place or environment? For example: California, high schools, swamps, etc.

EXAMPLE KEYWORDS FROM A TOPIC

For example, if my topic was Should children play violent video games?

Our non-essential words, words we do not need in a search are "should" and "play". Main concepts for our research include children (who), violent OR violence (describing the concept), and video games (what).

Boolean Operators (AND, OR, NOT)

• Use AND to connect keywords and look for both terms together. Example: aerospace AND graduates
• Use OR to include synonyms or similar keywords. Great for when you don't know what word to use yet. Example: college OR university
• Use NOT to exclude topics or subjects that are not relevant to your search. Example: 

McMasters Libraries: How Library Stuff Works Boolean Operators (AND OR NOT) Youtube Video

Boolean Searching with AND/OR/NOT

Library Database Teach-in Slide from Project CORA