Example
You see this article in Science Daily, and it peaks your interest. What now?
How does the absence of a maternal figure affect a child's brain development?
Step 1: Break up this research question into two or three main concepts. Ignore extraneous words.
Step 2: Conduct an initial search with these words, and quickly scan the results.
Step 3: Using information from your initial search, add synonyms, acronyms, and variant spellings.
(maternal OR mother) AND (absence OR lack OR deprivation) AND (brain OR neurological)