The Research Paper Process

Step 4. Create Search Terms

Nouns from your research question turn into keywords.

Question:  How does social media affect teenagers' relationships?

Keywords:

Social Media
Teenagers
Relationships

Create synonyms from those keywords for a larger search.

Not all researchers use the same terms so this will help broaden your search to get as many relevant articles as possible.

Keywords:

Social Media
Internet
World Wide Web

Keywords:

Teenagers
Youth
Adolescent

Keywords:

Relationships
Interaction
Communication

All these keywords can be used in several search combinations:

Keywords:

Social Media
Youth
Communication

Keywords:

Teenagers
Interaction
World Wide Web

Keywords:

Relationships
Internet
Adolescent

Keywords:

Social Media
Interaction
Adolescent

Keywords:

Teenagers
World Wide Web
Communication

Keywords:

Internet
Interaction
Youth