This Online Resource Education Module will introduce you to creating keywords and keyword phrases. You will learn how to think of wider and narrower versions of your keywords in order to widen and narrow your topic without changing topics. This will help you when you use the databases you'll learn about in the Choosing Databases module.
Keywords are the building blocks for developing your topic.
Think of them as hashtags—keywords should be basic, short words of phrases that succinctly describe your topic. You'll use these keywords to search for research material, help you create your research question and thesis, and narrow or widen your topic.
Why do you need keywords?
Databases, catalogs, and search engines work best when you use short descriptive words or phrases to search for information on your topic. The keywords you create for your your topic will help you find resources for your paper!