Keywords
Keywords are terms related to your topic.
They are the BIG IDEA WORDS.
If my thesis statement is: The rise of social media has led to an increase in body dissatisfaction among teenage girls.
Some keywords could be:
|
Social Media |
Body dissatisfation |
Teenage girls |
|
|
Self image |
adolescents |
|
Snapchat |
Body image |
Young adults |
|
Selfies |
Body positivity |
Teen |
|
Social media influencers |
Self esteem |
female |
Research topic - Marijuana should be legalized.
This research topic needs to be more well-defined and focused in order to be effective. The best way to do this is by reading more. Creating a list of keywords is a good way to narrow down a research topic.
Keywords can even become points that you can build your body paragraphs around.
|
Marijuana |
legalized |
|
cannibis |
decriminalized |
|
Medical marijauna |
Medical use |
|
Recreational marijuana |
Recreational use |
How to use Keywords
Use an online Thesaurus to look up synonyms to your main concepts.
From Broad to Narrow
Thinking about your Topic from Broad to Narrow
Example: I'm thinking of doing a paper the legalization of marijuana. This topic could develop in many different ways.
Hint: Ask Yourself Questions About Your Topic:
- What do you know about it? What don't you know?
- What aspects of your topic interest you: historical, sociological, psychological, social, cultural etc.
- What types of information do you need?
- News articles, websites, magazine articles, videos, encyclopedia articles?
- Statistics?
|
|
|
| marijuana legalization | use of marijuana to treat opioid addiction for professional athletes |
| Divorce | Effects of divorce on school performance of children |
Suicide |
Gender differences in adolescent suicide |
Eating disorders |
Group psychotherapy for bulimia |
Review Keywords throughout the Research Process
Throughout your research update and review your keywords!
- Fill out the Keywords worksheet and add to it as you continue to learn more about your topic
- Use the Related Topics link in the databases and when you find a term that gives you good information, add it to your list.
