How to come up with search terms
In the initial stage of defining the information problem, you may necessarily have divided up your main question into a number of sub-questions and translated these into search questions..
An effective way of searching is by using the building-blocks method. In this, you first subdivide your (search) question into a number of components. For each component you think up specific search terms with which to search.
Example:
You are looking for literature on Renaissance art from Italy.
Your question is: Which are the main characteristics of Italian Renaissance art?
The major components of this question are:
- Renaissance
- Art
- Italy
For each of the components, you think up various search terms.
| Renaissance | Art | Italy> |
|---|---|---|
| Renaissance Rebirth Mannerism etc. |
Art Fine art Painting Sculpture etc. |
Italy Italië Tuscany Tuscan Florence etc. |
When thinking up search terms, consider:
| Variant | Example |
|---|---|
| Compounds | Art Art Deco |
| Specific sub-terms | Italië Florence Tuscany |
| Spelling variants | 14th century Fourteenth century |
| (Near-) synonyms | Renaissance Early modern period Rebirth |
| Jargon | Late Renaissance Mannerism |
| Conjugation/declension | Florence Florentine |
| Translations | Italië Toscane |
| Writing out abbreviations | UN United Nations |
Another option is to use antonyms.
