HIST 105 American History I

Keywords are search terms that you will use when conducting research online. These are essential concepts or ideas. The following tips may help you get started with generating keywords.

• Start conducting some background research on a potential topic of interest
• Utilize reference databases and encyclopedias to gain basic knowledge on a subject
  • EX: CREDO Academic Core and Gale Virtual Library are great reference databases to start with
• Draft a rough research question (your question will develop as you conduct more research)
• Identify and pull essential keywords from this question (look for key concepts in your question)
• Identify potential synonyms
• Identify related research areas like databases, history centers, etc.
  • See these listed databases or these research centers for additional help
• Conduct preliminary research using your pulled keywords
• Revise your search and re/search  

Screenshot depicts CREDO's Mind Mapping technology to help find associated keywords. Using Mind Mapping can help you find related topics and information when you are early in the research process. Some of the related keywords may be helpful to dive into the topic further. Not all keywords/search terms that pop up in the mind map will be useful, but use the mind map to explore your topic further.