KAUST Advanced Academic Reading and Writing

Doing research on the Web or in databases can be exhausting. That's usually because you don't know enough about your topic to craft an effective keyword strategy. 

Do you know the answers to these questions about your topic?

• What are other ways people talk about my topic? What are related terms? 
• What are people arguing about? 
• Who cares about this topic?

Probably not! That means you need to do more research (see Choosing and Developing a topic page). What you learn about your topic will allow you to search more flexibly. 

If my topic is mental health on campus, here's what I learned so I can search more effectively:

• What are other ways people talk about my topic? What are related terms? (depression, anxiety, loneliness, isolation, suicide, addiction)
• What are people arguing about? (funding for mental health services,social support, counseling, therapy)
• Who cares about this topic? (university administrators, professors, parents, students)

Try searching here: