Photo Credit: UBC Library, license Creative Commons
Once you have determined your topic area, conducted background reading, and developed a research question, you should brainstorm similar terms (synonyms) or related terms, that represent each of the key concepts in your research question.
Example:
Topic Area: Sustainable Development
Background Reading: consulted the Encyclopedia Britannica Online, Wikipedia, the print World Book in my school Learning Commons, and CBC News.
Research Question: How do recent activities in the Canada oil industry reflect the changing attitudes of the Canadian federal government towards environmental protection in Canada?
Main Concepts in Research Question:
Developing Search Terms: Synonyms and Similar Terms
| Oil Industry | Canadian Federal Government | Environmental Protection |
|
oil sands oil and gas tar sands fracking Alberta pipeline
|
Conservative Government Federal Government Canadian Government Prime Minister Harper Conservatives Progressive Conservatives
|
sustainable development pollution environmentalism global warming environmenal change deforestation errosion |