| Explore for Ideas | ||
| Find Background Information | ||
| Identify Keywords | ||
| Refine the Topic | ||
| Locate Additional Information | ||
| Evaluate Sources | ||
| Cite Sources | ||
IDENTIFY
Keywords - keywords are the words you will use to help you locate articles and/or books on your topic. As you examine sources for background information it is a good idea to keep a list of the terms that are used to describe the concepts you are researching. Often there are many words that describe a single concept.
Look at the example below to get an idea of how different keywords can be used to describe a topic.
I'm studying how media affects the female self image.
Keywords or Descriptors:
| media | self image | female | |
| mass media | body image | women, woman | |
| television | appearance | teenage girl | |
| advertising | self perception | adolescent girl | |
| communication | body perception | sex |
Use this worksheet to help identify and organize keywords for your topic.
If you are having trouble coming up with keywords to describe your topic, try using a Thesaurus: http://www.m-w.com/.
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