Skip to Main Content
Our Guides

Conducting a Literature Review

Identify Main Concepts

Before you start searching for literature on your topic, you'll need to decide what search terms to use. This starts with breaking  your topic into key concepts. These concepts will form the building blocks of your search strategy, including developing your keywords.

Example Topic and Key Concepts:

 

 

Develop a Keyword List

For each key concept of your topic or research question, make a list of other words with the same or related meanings (synonyms). You can also try:

  •     Spelling Variations (especially American vs British, for example anesthesia or aneasthesia)
  •     Acronymns (also spell out the phrase)
  •     Plural and Singular variations
  •     Narrower Terms
  •     Broader Terms

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When you develop your initial list of keywords to use for your search, there may be some terms you have not thought of!

Often, you find additional terms as you find relevant articles in the library databases. Look for additional keywords or subject headings in the article details, or abstract that can be used in another search.

Here's an example of where you can find Subject Terms and Keywords in the Abstract/ Details of an article you may find in a database:

abstract details link in database

 screenshot of abtract/ details of an article in library database

In this example, after scanning the abstract/ details of this article, potential keywords that can be added to your list may include GPA, grade point average, or even aspects you may want to explore such as academic motivation or involvement.

Using Subject Terms

Subject headings are standardized terms that describe and organize items in databases. Subject headings are also known as subject terms, descriptors, index terms, or controlled vocabulary,  You can use these terms to find material on the same topic regardless of the words used in the text.

There are different ways to find subject headings:

1)  Do a keyword search, browse the results, find the most relevant articles and find the subject headings in the article (it is usually listed in the abstract/ details link under each result).

Example:

2) Browse the database's thesaurus.  It may tell you:

  •       Subject heading definitions
  •       Year the subject heading was added to the thesaurus
  •       List of subheadings for that subject heading
  •       Related terms
  •       Hierarchy with broader and narrower subject headings (good way to find other possible search terms)

 In most databases you'll find it the thesaurus the top of the page, in the Advanced Search. Example:

Not all databases include a thesaurus, and some may have a different name for it. For example, MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) is the NLM controlled vocabulary thesaurus used for indexing articles in MEDLINE and PubMED.

Using Ai to Generate Keywords

One of the best ways to ensure relevant and comprehensive results from your library searches is to collect a good list of keywords pertaining to your research topic. In addition to using your own knowledge and judgement, consulting with your librarians, database thesauri, and other experts in your field, you can use AI for quick and easy help generating keywords.

  1. Introduction:

    • Begin by introducing yourself and your research topic to ChatGPT. Provide a concise description of your role, the subject, and the main focus of your research. For example, "I am a doctoral student working on my dissertation. My topic is 'Children with Autism and Their Academic Performance and How They are Supported in the Classroom.'"

  2. Ask for Suggestions:

    • Pose a question to ChatGPT asking for keywords related to your research. For example, you might ask, "Can you suggest keywords for this topic?" or "What are some relevant keywords for studying autism in children?"

  3. Review and Refine:

    • Examine the model's responses and pick out potential keywords. Look for terms that accurately represent the core concepts of your research and try to think of what is missing in the results list, based on your own knowledge of the area.

  4. Ask Follow-up Questions:

    • If needed, ask follow-up questions to narrow down or expand on specific aspects of your research. For example, you can ask, "Can you provide more keywords related to academic performance?" Repeat this process for as many keywords or topics as you'd like.

  5. Validate the Results and Consult Existing Literature:

    • Cross-reference the generated keywords with existing literature in your field or a database thesaurus to ensure that your keywords are recognized and accepted within the academic community. 

  6. Iterative Process:

    • Refine and expand your list until you are satisfied with the selection.