ENG101 MCTC Library Research Strategy

After selecting your broad topic you will need to choose keywords to help narrow your search.  

Keywords are also important to guide your searching in the library databases.

• Keywords (sometimes referred to as "Index Terms") point the way for a computer to retrieve a particular document from a database.

One keyword may be too few, more than four keywords can be too many. Two to four keywords will be a better amount.

• The quality of keywords will make a difference in searching.
• The more unique and specific the keywords you use, the better your search results will be.

IMPORTANT: Identifying the key concepts of your topic will provide a better focus for what exactly you are looking.

The video below explains how to pick keywords. (Skip any beginning ad/commercials.) 

--from Krueger Library - Winona State University

 An "I Understand" Moment!