So what's the big deal with search terms? For scholarly, authoritative research you'll need to utilize library databases. And with databases, you will need to use the appropriate search terms.
Search terms can...
Make your research more effective & efficient.
Find the most useful sources faster & easily.
Save you time!
Get you better grades!
After developing a topic for your research, you must identify the main concepts of your topic.
Topic: How effective is pet therapy for elderly patients suffering from depression?
Major Concepts: pet therapy, elderly patients, depression
CONCEPT 1 |
CONCEPT 2 |
CONCEPT 3 |
|
Major Concept |
pet therapy |
elderly patients |
depression |
Synonyms |
animal therapy animal assisted therapy animal-assisted therapy |
aged aging population geriatric patients older adults seniors senior citizens |
melancholy sadness despair |
Broader Terms |
therapy therapeutic rehabilitation psychotherapy |
adults |
mental health mental illness mood disorders psychology psychiatry |
Narrower Terms |
equine therapy therapy dog therapy cat |
elderly men elderly women |
chronic depression major depressive disorder dysthymia |
Related Words |
pets companion animals attachment theory attachment behavior service animals |
gerontology |
mood bipolar disorder |
After developing a topic for your research, you must identify the main concepts of your topic.
The worksheet attached below will help you brainstorm search terms including synonyms, broader/narrower terms, related terms.