IN 239 - Generating Keywords
Keywords:
In searching for your topic, it is important to brainstorm some initial keywords. A keyword is a term which
describes your topic (or some aspect of your topic). It is important to brainstorm a variety of keywords related to your topic, because authors may not always describe a topic in the way that you would describe it (and
you want to maximize your chances of finding the material you’re looking for).
In addition to brainstorming synonym keywords (words which mean roughly the same thing as the concept
you’re looking for), it is also important to brainstorm both broader and narrower keywords. A broader keyword captures more general instances of a term (ex. a broader keyword of “dog” might be “animal” or
“quadruped”), while a narrower keyword captures more particular instances of a term (ex. a narrower keyword of “dog” might be “german shepherd” or “cockerspaniel”). Use a dictionary/thesaurus/Wikipedia to
brainstorm some keywords for the following concepts:
Initial Keyword
Synonym
Broader Keyword
Narrower Keyword
robin
erithacus rubecula
bird, avian, songbird
European robin, American robin, red-breasted robin
battleship
warship, ironclad
boat, destroyer
dreadnought
Coca-Cola
performance enhancing drugs
Middle Ages
college
Now that you’ve had some practice, see if you can brainstorm some synonyms, broader keywords, and narrower keywords for your own topic:
Initial Keyword
Synonym
Broader Keyword
Narrower Keyword