ENGL 1102 - Johnston (Floyd) - Spring 2025: Search Strategies

(Image CC-BY-SA, Susanna Smith: Georgia Highlands College Library, 2021)

The research process is messy, no doubt about it.

Step 1: Identify your topic. Narrow it down if necessary.

Step 2: Identify your primary keywords.

Step 3: Start searching in library databases. Don't forget to use the tools provided, like limiters!

Step 4: When you find a few sources you think may be useful, stop and review them. Discard any aren't helpful and save the ones that are.

Step 5: Do you have enough sources to start writing your paper?

YES: Start writing and make sure to cite!

NO: Return to Step 2 and 3 as necessary until you have enough information to start writing.

PROTIP: Sometimes you may start writing and realize you need more information. That's OK! Go back to Step 2 and continue the research process!

THINK first, SEARCH later.

• What kind of resource are you searching for? (Book? Video? Website? Academic article?) 
  • This tells you WHERE to search: Galileo, GIL, or in a web browser!
• Are there other important things you need to consider?
  • Something written by a specialist? Go for Peer Reviewed!
  • Something written during a specifc time? Check out the date range!
• What information are you searching for? 
  • This is where keywords come in. 

Make a list. Check it twice!  (Don’t know anything about keywords? Watch the :Keywords: A Quick Guide" video on this page!) 

Always remember: KEYWORDS are critical!

Here's an example.

My topic is "Text messaging is harmful to teen literacy."

My keywords in this topic are "text messaging" and "harmful", "teen", and maybe "literacy". (We will discuss that last one in a minute!)

My "related words" lists might look like this:

• Keyword: "text messaging". Related words: "texting", "chatting", "messaging"
• Keyword: "harmful". Related words: "damaging", "unhealthy", "negative"
• Keyword: "teen". Related words: "teenager", "young adult", "adolescent", "youth"
• Keyword: "literacy", Related words: "reading", "writing", "proficiency", "ability"

Now I can mix and match - pick two or three words from different lists and use those as my initial search.

Sometimes you have tricky words like literacy. There's no one word that means the same thing, but you can make PHRASES out of other words, like combining "reading" and "proficiency" to make a key phrase: "reading proficiency".

One thing to keep in mind when you are doing research on your topic is that there is NO SUCH THING as a single perfect source that you will be able to cite to support your thesis. Researching and writing is a process of learning about your topic, thinking critically about what you've learned, and supporting your thesis through referencing a variety of sources.