What is it?
It is making a list of the words that will help you find the information you need about your research topic. They are called "key words" because they can "unlock" the doors that will lead you to useful information.
When will I use them?
You will use them when searching through books (using indexes) and through electronic sources (using search screens in online reference sources or search tools such as search engines or directories).
Why do I need to do it?
If you have good key words, you'll find the kind of information you want faster. If you don't have good key words, you can waste a lot of time not finding the information you need.
What are "good key words"?
Good key words are the important words or short phrases that specifically describe your topic and closely related topics. They are not long sentences.
When do I list them?
Start as soon as you have a general topic. You will be able to add more key words to your list as you focus and learn more about your topic.
How do I list them?
1. First, write one or two sentences about your topic.
2. Next, underline all of the specific words that describe your topic.
3. Make a separate list of these specific words. Use visuword graphic dictionary to make the list even bigger http://www.visuwords.com
4. Add to your list any other words that mean the same thing (synonyms) or are related terms.
5. Think of more words or phrases that describe the larger topic, of which your topic is a part. Add those to the list.
6. Think of more words or phrases that are subtopics of your topic which might help you find you useful information. Add those to the list.
Now you should have a pretty long list of words and phrases that you can use to search for information. If one word isn't in a book's index or doesn't turn up any results on an electronic search, try another word or a combination of words.
Blog your keywords on a post. Use visuword graphic dictionary to make the list http://www.visuwords.com , then find some websites that will help you with your project. Post at least 5 links to these sites on your blog.
