Research Guides: Literacy Education: A) Identify key concepts, keywords, and key phrases

(A) Identify keywords and key phrases

The first step to formulating a search strategy is to identify the keywords or key phrases from your research topic or research question.

Keywords and key phrases are also known as search terms.

Watch the video OR reading the content in the box adjacent, to learn how to identify key concepts, develop keywords and key phrases.

Then see our example after that.

How to identify key concepts, develop keywords, and key phrases

What are 'keywords' and 'key phrases'?

Keywords and key phrases are the words or phrases that represent the key concepts of your research topic and are the words you would use in everyday life to describe the topic.

Keywords - individual words that represent a key concept
Key phrase - two or more words that represent a key concept.

Keywords and key phrases are also known as search terms.

Learn about keywords and key phrases by either watching the video below or reading the content in the next tab. Then check out an example on the last tab.

What are 'keywords' and 'key phrases'?

Keywords and key phrases are the words or phrases that represent the key concepts of your research topic and are the words you would use in everyday life to describe the topic.

Keywords - individual words that represent a key concept.
Key phrase - two or more words that represent a key concept.

How to select useful keywords and key phrases

Identify the key concepts of your research topic.
Choose the keywords or key phrases that describe these concepts.
If you can, brainstorm any:
- Synonyms or related concepts for your keywords / key phrases - It doesn't matter if you cannot identify any synonyms right away. You might get ideas later. Also, not every keyword / key phrase has an appropriate synonym for it.
- Spell out any abbreviations that you identified - e.g. ADD = Attention Deficit Disorder

Use a table to organize your ideas for keywords and key phrases

Using a table can be helpful for organizing your thoughts for keywords and key phrases:

Record each concept in a column.
Record any synonyms or any abbreviations spelled out underneath each concept

	Key Concept "A"	Key Concept "B"	Key Concept "C"
Keyword or key phrase to describe Concept + Other keywords or key phrases that can be used eg. synonyms, abbreviations spelled out, etc.

Our Example:

Anna wants to write her research paper on how social media affects self-esteem in adolescents.

Anna underlines the key concepts: How social media affects self-esteem in adolescents

These key concepts make good keywords and key phrases. (Reminder - Key phrases are two or more keywords that belong together.) So she writes them down.

She then records any synonyms or related keywords that she can think of underneath.

	Key Concept "A"	Key Concept "B"	Key Concept "C"
	social media Facebook Instagram Twitter Snapchat	self-esteem	adolescents teenagers youth