Your first goal will be to think about your topic and decide on what it is you would like to explore. Here's an example of a research question:
Is weight loss an effective intervention for cardiovascular disease?
Once you've decided on a topic, you'll need to think about the search terms you'll use.
Step 1: Break up this research question into two or three main concepts. These will become your search terms.
- Concept #1: weight loss
- Concept #2: intervention
- Concept #3: cardiovascular disease
Step 2: Brainstorm synonyms, acronyms, and variant spellings.
- Concept #1: weight loss
- Concept #2: intervention, prevention
- Concept #3: cardiovascular disease, heart disease
Constructing Your Search
Even if the search engine you are using doesn't require you to enter boolean operators, it is still using them behind the scenes. It will help you to know the logic behind your search
- AND gives you results that include ALL of your concepts.
- OR gives you results that include ANY of your concepts.
- Essentially, you are searching: (weight loss) AND (intervention OR prevention) AND (cardiovascular disease OR heart disease)
Revise and Repeat
- As you do some initial searching, your research question may change.
- Be willing to alter your initial search strategy. The more your explore, the more avenues you will discover. Swap out search words, follow authors of interest, and let references lead to you new materials.
