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Research Unbound: A Library Orientation for Transfer, Upper-Division, and Graduate Students

This micro-course, which involves a series of online modules, will help you learn about the University Libraries' resources available to you, and will equip you with the skills you need to be an effective researcher.

Search Strategies

Identifying Keywords

Once you've identified a research topic and/or question, the next logical step is to figure out keywords or key phrases. These are topic words related to your search question that tell the search engine, database, or other resource what you are looking for. Brainstorming or selecting the right words and phrases for your question will make your search more effective (you'll find what you need) and efficient (you'll find what you need quickly).