It is important to have a well-defined research question to give you a clear idea of the types of journal articles you need to find.
Once you have a question, break it down into its key concepts.
Key concepts
Key concepts are the most important elements of your topic.
They will help you find effective keywords to start your search.
Breaking down a question
Here is an example research question:
"How do campus green spaces affect the mental health of university students?"
Looking at this question, we can identify three key concepts:
- Green spaces
- Mental health
- University students
Key concepts are specific
Using generic terms such as affect, impact, influence etc. can mean you miss out on relevant articles.
After identifying your concepts, the next step is:Brainstorming keywords