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Research Guides

Comprehensive Searching in the Social Sciences

Now that you have identified your key concepts, you'll need to generate a list of keywords. Whereas key concepts represent your central ideas (E.g., generative AI, racial justice, United States, Canada), keywords are the actual words and phrases you’ll enter into a database to search for relevant sources.

In basic searches, your key concepts and keywords will be the same. For example, if you enter the words and phrases “generative AI,” “racial justice,” "United States," and Canada into the database search field, these words and phrases become the keywords of your search.

However, since authors may be using different words or phrases to describe your key concepts, more advanced searches should always include alternative words or phrases that capture the full range of ways your key concepts may be described in the literature. By including alternative words and phrases in your set of keywords, you will reduce the chance of missing relevant results.

Strategies for identifying alternative keywords

Let’s start with an example. If you’re studying social psychology and your key concept is wellbeing, you may have existing background knowledge that tells you scholars may also use words and phrases like wellness or “quality of life.” These are examples of alternative keywords.

But what if you don’t have existing background knowledge to help you identify alternative keywords? Below are some strategies you can use to brainstorm or research different ways scholars may be discussing your concept.

  • What words or phrases have the same or similar meaning as your key concept?
    • Use an online tool like Thesaurus.com to search for synonyms.
    • Use Wikipedia for a quick topic overview that may include words or phrases with the same or similar meaning
    • Use a high-quality research tool from the library like Oxford Reference.
    • Use a subject-specific handbook, textbook, or other reference source for specialized language or disciplinary jargon. 
    • Need help with this? Chat with library staff for immediate assistance.
  • Do any of your keywords have alternative spellings? Like neighbour and neighbor
  • Do any of your keywords have alternative punctuation? Like wellbeing, “well being,” “well-being”
  • Are there acronyms commonly used for any of your phrases? Like QOL, sometimes used by scholars as a shorthand for “quality of life.”
  • Has the way your topic is discussed changed over time? (Eg. “Intimate partner violence” was once more commonly described as “domestic violence.”)
  • Have harmful words or phrases been replaced that you still need to include in your search? (Eg. Transexualism was once commonly used in scholarship to refer to transgender persons.)
  • Is your concept complex and inconsistently described in the literature?
    • Belonging
    • Belongingness
    • Sense of place
    • Group membership
    • In-group
  • Is your concept a high-level or umbrella concept with multiple specific examples? Or a specific concept that could be described using a higher-level or umbrella term? For instance:
    • Umbrella term: Social services
    • Specific terms: Social housing, seniors care, child welfare, disability support, income security, etc.

Structure for generating and organizing keywords

Consider creating a concept map to help guide your search for alternative keywords

concept map for the term wellbeing

To organize your keywords, begin to build a “Concept Brainstorming Table” :

Key Concepts Keywords
Concept 1  
Concept 2  
Concept 3