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Keywords and Synonyms

Print this page and use it to develop your research strategy!

Write out your research topic or question	Example:   Is there a reading crisis among  youth today?
What are the main ideas or KEY WORDS in the above  question or topic statement?	reading and youth and crisis
What are some similar words (synonyms) for the above  keywords?	literacy  young or students or teenagers  problems or decline or fall

Why synonyms?  Because the computer only looks for the EXACT words you put in.  If the article title and abstract only include the word "literacy" and not reading, you will not find that article.  Using both words guarantees greater success.

Hint:  To get more results, you can "or" synonyms together:   literacy or reading

 To think of synonyms, start with the Merriam-Wester Thesaurus online.  Enter your word in the search box and select    Thesaurus.

Go to our Search Techniques page for more tips on developing a search strategy!