Searching is a process, and a good way to start is to think about your research question or topic, and consider the type of resources you need to answer it effectively.
Identifying key concepts
It is important to have a well-defined research question to help you find relevant and reliable sources more efficiently.
Start by understanding your research question carefully and pulling out the key legal ideas or concepts.
Key concepts
Key concepts are the most important elements of your topic.
They will help you define keywords to start your search.
Here is an example research question:
Should freedom of speech be limited to prevent hate speech in Australia?
Looking at this question, we can identify three key concepts:
- Freedom of speech
- Hate speech
- Australia (jurisdiction)
Key concepts are specific
Using generic terms such as 'prevent', 'impact', 'influence' etc. can make you miss out on relevant articles.
Brainstorming keywords
After identifying the key concepts of your question, you can start to plan your keywords and brainstorm alternative terms for each of your key concepts.
Alternative terms
Researchers can use different terminology to refer to the same topic.
Think of synonyms or related terms. This can help broaden or refine your search when needed.
When thinking about keywords, you can consider different terms such as synonyms, broader and narrower terms, related terms and spelling variations.
Using our key concepts from earlier, here is an example of a brainstorming table:
"Should freedom of speech be limited to prevent hate speech in Australia?"
| Concept: | Freedom of speech | Hate speech | Australia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keywords: |
Free speech Freedom of expression Right to speak |
Offensive speech Harmful speech Vilification |
Australia Australian law Commonwealth Federal Australia |
Tips:
-
Conduct initial searches to help you find relevant keywords.
- Finding a set of relevant articles can provide you with ideas for keywords, by looking at their titles and abstracts.
Ways to find initial articles on your topic
-
Conduct quick searches in Google Scholar or a key database in your field
- Look at the references or citations of relevant articles
- Use AI-powered research tools such as ResearchRabbit, Scopus AI or Scite Assistant (Note: always evaluate AI-generated outputs)
Combining keywords
In a database you can create a search strategy that will target the articles you are looking for. You can do this by combining your keywords using AND, OR, quotation marks (" ") and truncation ( * ).
Let's learn more using our example keywords:
What is OR used for?
- OR is used to combine similar keywords.
- For example, "freedom of speech" OR expression will find articles with either of these terms.
- Use OR to capture the varied ways a concept can be described in an article.
What is AND used for?
- AND is used to combine different keywords.
- For example, "freedom of speech" AND "hate speech" will find articles with both of these terms.
- Use AND to make sure all of your concepts are present in the articles found.
Searching for phrases
- Use double quotation marks ( " " ) to search for a phrase.
- For example, "hate speech" will capture these two words next to each other.
Searching for plurals
- Use asterisks ( * ) to capture letters after a word.
- For example, Australia* will search for 'Australia' or 'Australian' or 'Australians'
Building a search strategy
When all keywords are combined, a search in a database may look like:
("Freedom of speech" OR "Right to speak")
AND ("hate speech" OR Villification)
AND (Australia* OR Commonwealth)
This means:
- Similar terms are combined with OR.
- Different concepts are combined with AND.
- The search results will be relevant to your topic, as each article will include all three key concepts.
Search Tips
-
Use a variety of keywords to capture different terminology used in legal literature.
- Try advanced search filters in databases to limit by jurisdiction, date, or publication type.
Looking for more help with searching?
For quick help, you can get in touch via Library Chat
Or visit us at the Library Help Zone
UNSW staff, postgraduate and honours students can book a Research consultation