SW 200/SW 201: Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare: Home

There is no perfect starting point for any research project. The most important part is to get started!

Here are some tips to help get you off on the right foot:

• Research is an iterative process. Searching for resources involves trial-and-error, and you should expect to have to do multiple searches.
• There is no perfect resource! You can't expect to find the one article that answers all your questions.
• Write out what information you are looking for. What research questions do you have? You can compare the articles' abstracts to your research interests.

Using Your Research Question

Turn your research question into search terms.

1. Write out your research question. How do short-term employment contracts affect hospital healthcare workers' mental well-being?
2. Identify the important words or terms. Look at the nouns that specify the scope of your topic. 
   1. What people? Contract healthcare workers
   2. Where? Hospitals
   3. What kind of issue? Mental health
3. Write out each important word/term. List synonyms or terms that have the same feel.

Using an Article You Like

Look at that article's keywords. Keywords are usually written underneath the article's listing in your search results. 

Different databases use different keywords. By reusing the keywords, you are learning to speak that database's "language".

Using Search Suggestions

Some databases will give you suggestions for search terms when you start typing in a search box. These are terms that the database absolutely recognizes. 

Sometimes, the suggestions will be several terms in the same text box, all separated by the Boolean Operator or. This means that the search engine will search for all those terms at once.

Always check before you select a string of terms. Some of the terms might not be equivalent for your specific research topic!