Introduction:
Key concepts clip (subtitles in English)
By now, you should have developed one or more questions that include three key concepts (topic, target group, process). You can now use these three key concepts to define your search terms.
To specify your search terms, you can use dictionaries, a list of keywords from a library catalogue or the Internet. You can also come up with different versions of your search terms, such as synonyms, singular and plural forms, different spellings, abbreviations or full words, related terms, more general terms or more specific terms.
Tips for defining key concepts/search terms
1. Which search terms immediately come to mind when you think about your topic? Write these down.
2. Use Wikipedia, industry encyclopaedias, Thesaurus and existing literature to determine the key terms for your topic.
3. Think about the information you are trying to find. How will the information be worded (and in which language) in the source you're looking for?
4. Consider different versions of your search terms: synonyms, translations, general and specific terms, abbreviations, etc. as well as Truncating (dropping letters)
5. Revise your search terms several times based on the information you find in your search results. This will help you specify your search and omit irrelevant results.
6. Use the tools that are available in various search engines (suggestions, indexed terms, thesauruses, etc.).
For more information about search terms, visit this page on the Utrecht University website.
Universiteit Utrecht
Search diagram
Once you've defined an initial search term, you can come up with more terms by completing the diagram below as accurately as possible. Word variations refer to singular/plural, noun/adjective and different verb forms. For example: renewable, renewables, renewability. You can also use abbreviations (renewable energy source/RES). Search engines do not automatically search for all these word variations.
|
Key concepts research question |
Topic Sustainable energy |
Target group Municipality |
Process Energy policy |
| Synonyms |
environmentally-friendly sustainable |
City town |
objective |
| General terms | Energy | Government | Policy |
| Specific terms |
solar energy wind energy etc. |
the municipality of Arnhem Alteveer district |
|
| English terms |
renewable energy sustainable energy |
government | energy policy |
In addition to the terms associated with your main term, you can also come up with other terms that help to further define your topic:
•people or organisations relevant to your topic
•terms that define a specific time or place (periods, centuries, locations, countries)
•terms that define a specific scientific approach, movement or method
Universiteit Utrecht