1. Think about your topic for a while and free-write a little bit about what you want to find out.
2. Put away your free-writing for at least an hour. It will mean more when you look at it with fresh eyes.
3. Read what you wrote and clarify if necessary.
4. Underline, circle or highlight the terms which name the key concepts of your search.
5. Make a list of synonyms and antonyms for those keywords.
1. Use the Internet to gain some background on your topic.
2. Be aware of the pitfalls of using the only the Internet - see Evaluating Information on the Internet for more information.
3. After exploring some Websites and doing some background reading, go back to your search terms and revise, if necessary.
1. Determine the correct database to use - see Databases by Subject
2. Once you have chosen a database and gained access to it, read about its scope and specific search tools.
3. Use Boolean Operators to expand (broaden) or limit (narrow) your results list.