Write your research question or statement. Example: How does social media influence the communication of today’s college students? CRAFTING A SAVVY SEARCH STRATEGY Part 1: Identify Key Concepts and Brainstorm Keywords for a database search 1 UCLA Library Inquiry Labs j.mp/inquirylabs Identify the key concepts in your statement and list them below, or circle them above. Example: social media, communication, college students __________________ ____________________ ____________________ Brainstorm related words for each of your main concepts. Think of synonyms, more specific words/ideas, or broader words/ideas. If you are having trouble brainstorming, try talking with friends, classmates, your instructor, or consult a thesaurus and/or encyclopedia. Looking at the language used in your class readings also helps. Key Concept 1 Key Concept 2 Key Concept 3 ________________ ____________________ ____________________ ________________ ____________________ ____________________ ________________ ____________________ ____________________ Example: Social media can have synonyms such as: online social networks, etc., narrower terms such as: Facebook, blogs, twitter, etc., and broader terms such as: internet, online, etc. 2 What’s next? Create more key terms! You can also brainstorm acronyms, plural and singular words, regional and historic variations, and more! Watch “Crafting A Savvy Search Strategy: Part 2” Start searching in a database or search engine Come visit us in the Inquiry Labs for more help. Bring your key terms, and we’ll help you search for sources for your paper!