Skip to Main Content
University of Texas University of Texas Libraries

TC 302: College and Controversy - Mickenberg

Get Started

Brainstorm Search Terms (Keywords)

Library databases and Google can't be searched the same way so take a few moments to come up with a search strategy before diving into a database.

Step 1:  Think about the key concepts of your topic and search those instead of an entire phrases or sentences.

Step 2:   Think of other terms you could use that are synonyms or related (they could be a broader or narrower aspect).  This often requires that you do a little background research to learn more.

tep 3:  Connect your terms using AND and OR:

Remember - 

  • AND narrows your topic (use AND between terms if you want them all to appear in your results)
  • OR broadens your topic (use OR between terms if you want any, not all, to appear in your results)

Find Background Information

If you use Wikipedia as a first step in your research, you are already using background information to get started with research.  Background information helps you:

  • pre-research your topic
  • learn more about theories and concepts
  • define terms
  • find key terms you can use to search for additional sources

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Generic License.