Keywords are terms, or descriptors that you type into Google, or in a library database to find research articles on your topic. The quality of your search words- keywords- are directly tied to the results you want. So if your keywords are relevant to your topic, the chances of finding the results you want are high.

1. Focus on the main idea of your research topic: For example, if your topic is on Lyme Disease, possible keywords could be "Lyme disease symptoms",  "tick borne disease", "Lyme disease transmission".
2. Perform a Google Search and see what you pull up. Are the articles similar to what you want to explore in your topic?  Ask yourself if you need to tailor your search to be more specific; or more broad.
3. Do not limit your keywords to just one. Look for synonyms, related topics. Remember to be specific enough to include words that target what you want to address in your research topic.

Instead of typing a full question or sentence into a search engine, divide it up into smaller sections of keywords or phrases to use. 

Example research question: "How does social media affect children?" 

You can break this down in a variety of ways: 

• Keywords have a direct effect on your search and the results you get back, so they are a critical part of the search process.
• When you create keywords you are also listing all the possible names, descriptions, or important ideas related to your topic.
• Good search is really about language and words because databases are fueled by words, and built with words.

Using scientific vocabulary as keywords will not only focus your search, but get you more exact information. Ask your instructor for precise vocabulary used for your topic.  

Scientific terminology is powerful!