Start by typing your full research question. Next, consider which specific words or phrases are necessary to communicate the central components of your question.

Key concepts communicate the subjects only, not the relationship between subjects. If the key concepts in your question are not immediately clear, try the following:

• Identify the nouns in your research question: people or animals, places, things, time periods, or ideas.
• Ignore smaller words in your research question: adjectives, adverbs, articles, pronouns, or qualifiers.
• Ignore comparative or relational words like effect and impact or reduce and increase.

Example 1: How have secondary school curricula attempted to increase levels of political participation in Canadian society?

In the sample question above, the specific words or phrases necessary to communicate the central components of your question (or “key concepts") include:

• Secondary school
• Curricula
• Political participation
• Canadian society

Example 2: How has generative AI been used to further or counter the goals of racial justice advocates in the United States and Canada?

Key concepts:

• generative AI
• racial justice
• United States
• Canada

Example 3: What role does music play in identity construction or maintenance within South Asian diasporic communities?

Key concepts:

• music
• identity
• South Asian
• diasporic