Brainstorming Keywords
1.Define your research question or topic
Why? Understanding your topic before you dive into searching keeps you focused on your topic and less likely to get sidetracked by irrelevant material.
2.Break it down – Pick out the core concepts
How? Focus on nouns or noun phrases. Avoid generic words like ‘impact’ that can cause you to get general or irrelevant results.
3.Identify related terms for each core concept
Why? Search engines and some databases can suggest related topics, but it’s useful to try multiple searches using similar terms.
How? Brainstorm or search online for synonyms or related words
HOW IT WORKS:
1. What social and environmental factors lead to more frequent diagnoses of Valley Fever among farmworkers?
2. What social and environmental factors lead to more frequent diagnoses of Valley Fever among farmworkers?
3. Social – health inequity OR health disparity
Environmental – wind OR Tule Fog OR dust OR seasonal variations OR "grow-and-blow" cycle
Valley Fever – Coccidioides OR fungal disease OR airborne pathogens
Farmworkers -- Laborers OR Migrant workers OR essential workers OR agricultural workers
TIPS:
Search exact phrases by using quotation marks; Use broader or narrower terms and related words as synonyms
