Breaking your question down into its main concepts highlights the search terms you will need to use. However, restricting your search to just these terms will hinder your results and not perform a systematic search.
You will need to find as many related search terms, as possible, for each of your concepts.
There is no limit on how many search terms you are expected to use. How many you come up with depends on the concept you are searching for and how broad or narrow your inclusion criteria is.
Example: To what extent does social background effect the drop out rates of university students?
| Initial terms | Possible related terms |
|---|---|
| Social background | social status; social class; ethnicity; race; culture; religion |
| Drop out rates | dropout; retention; retaining |
| University students | graduates, undergraduates, postgraduates, doctoral students |
Some ways to help you find more terms are outlined below:
If you enter a search term for one of your concepts in Google Scholar, some related searches will be listed (these usually appear either in the middle or bottom of the page). These sometimes include related search terms that can be used for that concept.
Though not usually recommended for research purposes, you may need to use a search engine, such as Google, to find relevant search terms.
If your question related to Africa, for example, you would need to find the names of all the countries within Africa to use as related search terms.
Mind mapping can be a useful technique to help you generate further search terms and organise your ideas around your question.
Some people find it more productive to mind map on paper, but there is mind mapping software available installed on all of City's student pcs. Search for MindGenius in the Windows search box. MindGenius is also available remotely via AppsAnywhere for Windows 10 users.