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How Do I … Start My Research?

 

 

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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