Spanish Studies: Topics, Keywords, & Search Tips

Strategy A) To narrow your topic to a researchable question or statement, complete the following statements:

1)  I am researching ________________________ (topic)
2)  because I want to find out ____________  (issue/question)
3)  in order to ________________________ (application/significance).

or

Strategy B) Making Connections. Complete this worksheet to make scholarly connections between a primary text and related themes.

• Making Connections Worksheet
  from Duke University's Library 101 Toolkit

These are just two strategies, get more help by making at appointment with a writing tutor at the OWRC.

Find more suggestions from:

• The Odegaard Writing and Research Center Handouts
• Purdue's Online Writing Lab

Keywords are the essential elements that describe complex ideas and topics; the important, descriptive nouns and verbs. Do not try to search sentences—find keywords or keyword phrases.

Focus on the concepts at the heart of your question first. Using these core concepts you will generate several relevant keywords that will better focus your search results.

1. Have a well-formed research question
2. Extract core terms from this research question
3. Brainstorm a list of alternative terms or phrases for each core term
4. Organize the list of terms and phrases by creating a hierarchy, indicating broader and narrower terms for each core term
5. Identify which terms you would combine to conduct a search

Research Question: En Coser y Cantar cómo se trata el tema de identidad cultural?

Brainstorm Keywords (start with main concepts above, and then add synonyms and related terms):

Mix and match your keywords to find sources in UW Libraries Search, Google Scholar, or a research database.

Example searches:

identidad AND Dolores Prida

• UW Libraries Search
• Google Scholar
• MLA International Bibliography

Search Tips:

* = truncation symbol, your friend

Two searches: 1 in English, one in Spanish