Library Guides: Introduction to Research (Mont Alto): Keywords & Search Strategies

Identifying & Brainstorming Keywords

Topic: How effective is pet therapy for elderly patients suffering from depression?

Major concepts: pet therapy, elderly patients, depression
	Concept 1	Concept 2	Concept 3
Major concept	pet therapy	elderly patients	depression
Synonyms	animal therapy animal assisted therapy	geriatric patients	melancholy sadness despair
Broader terms	psychiatry therapeutic rehabilitation psychotherapy	elderly aged older people	mental health psychology psychiatry mental illness
Narrower terms	animal assisted therapy	elderly women	chronic depression
Related words	pets attachment theory attachment behavior	gerontology	mood therapy

**Boolean Operators**
Search Term	What it does	Example
AND	All terms must appear Narrows your search Fewer results Use to include multiple concepts	video games AND violence
OR	Either term may appear Broadens your search More results Use for related concepts	concussion OR traumatic brain injury
NOT	Removes a term from your search Narrows your search Fewer results Use for concepts you do not want to research	pet therapy NOT dogs
Phrases	Search for exact phrases Narrows your search Fewer results	"animal assisted therapy"

Use Google's site command to search specific websites and domains.
- Search only government websites use site:.gov
  - organic farming site:.gov
- Search only educational institutions' websites use site:.edu
  - texting while driving site:.edu
- Search a specific website use the site's URL
  - driverless cars site:nytimes.com
Conduct perimeter scans (look along the edges – top, bottom, sides – of the website) to quickly find the answers to these questions and evaluate the information!

Keyword Generator
Think of appropriate keywords for your topic with this interactive tutorial.