A keyword is a term or phrase that describes the main ideas of your research topic.
Whether you are using Google, the library catalogue or databases, you will need to select keywords to do your search. Most search engines use keywords to make online content discoverable. In order to search effectively, you need to identify the key concepts - you may need to try a variety of keywords and combinations.
Step One: Construct a research question.
What are the causes of addiction to smoking among teenagers?
Step Two: Identify two or three main keywords. (think: nouns)
Step Three: Identify synonyms for each keyword.
| Keyword 1 | Keyword 2 | Keyword 3 |
| teenagers | addiction | smoking |
| adolescents | substance abuse | tobacco |
| young adults | dependency | cigarettes |
Academic research requires a thorough investigation into the body of literature that has been published – and sometimes even unpublished – about a given topic. You must examine and refer to scholarly sources when completing academic assignments (unless otherwise indicated by your instructor). Referring to scholarly sources will:
- Add depth to your understanding.
- Strengthen your argument.
- Reduce bias and misconceptions.
START FIRST with the library website. Library resources are built around your program, are screened and verified for credibility, provide targeted results using advanced search, are copyright licensed and freely available to the Sheridan community for most educational purposes.
An annotated bibliography is often used in academic writing to help guide the research process by presenting a focused selection of sources that are relevant to your topic.
Check out the Annotated Bibliographies Guide for more information.
If you want a phrase to appear in the results, where each word must appear side by side in the correct order, use quotation marks.
If you are looking for any variation of a root word, use an asterisk to truncate the word.
For: ethic, ethics, ethical, ethically, ethicist, etc.
Tip! For more information and search strategies, check out the Research & Academic Skills Quickstart Guide.
A literature review summarizes existing scholarly research on a topic from peer-reviewed articles, books, dissertations, and other sources. The reviewer searches for important research in a particular area of study, and then recaps their key findings in the article. It’s important to note that a literature review doesn’t simply describe what academic sources say on the topic.
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