Now that you've gathered vocabulary about your search concepts, you'll need to combine your textwords and subject headings into a logical and structured way for the databases to interpret your search correctly.

Any search should include both types of words, not just textwords or just subject headings. Below is an example of the structure you can apply to a line-by-line search for each concept:

1. Start with searching for CONCEPT 1:

• Identify and add relevant subject headings
• Add textwords (including search symbols)
• Using 'OR', combine with search lines to form 'Chunk 1'

2. Then, search for CONCEPT 2:

• Identify and add relevant subject headings
• Add textwords (including search symbols)
• Using 'OR', combine with search lines to form 'Chunk 2'

3. Combine the two concepts:

• Using 'AND', combine Chunk 1 and Chunk 2 to find articles that contain an overlap of these two concepts

Example: What is known about cervical cancer and black women?

Note: As your research question further develops, and based on what you find in your first few searches, you may decide to broaden it (by removing one of the more minor concepts) or narrow it further (by adding one or two additional search concepts).

1. Search one concept at a time
2. Map terms to subject headings
3. Read the scope notes for each subject heading
4. Look at the MeSH/subject heading tree
5. When in doubt, consider using 'Explode' for a subject heading (but do not 'Focus'), but be sure to test it out
6. Use keywords along with subject headings
7. Combine terms with Boolean operators
8. Gather additional keywords and subject headings from relevant results
9. Limit results, if needed (can use search filters, if available and needed)
10. Save results & save search history