Skip to Main Content
Roosevelt University in Chicago, Schaumburg and Online - Logo

PAL Research Guide

Resources for the Research Process

A. Topic Identification & Selection (by University of Houston). This video will walk you through the process of selecting a topic.

B. Developing a Research or Guiding Question (by Western University): Before you start searching for sources to support your work, it's a good idea to develop your rough topic into a thesis statement, and then to turn it into a research question that you will set out to answer.

Check for Understanding

C. Generating Keywords (by University of Louisville): This video explains how to determine keywords/concepts. It also explains the importance of finding synonyms or related concepts.

Research Question: How does playing video games affect teenage girls?

 

Concept 1

AND

Concept 2

AND

Concept 3

Extract the major concepts from your research question.

teenage

 

girls

 

“video games”

List alternatives for each concept:

  • These can be synonyms, or they can be specific examples of the concept
  • Use single words or short phrases.
  • Find additional terms in abstracts and summaries of articles.

 

Search Terms

Search Terms

Search Terms

adolescent

female

“online games”

OR

OR

OR

teens

“teenage girls”

Nintendo

OR

OR

OR

 

 

 

OR

OR

OR

 

 

 

 

 

 

C. Watch "Boolean Logic" (by Pfaul Library"): This video explains how to combine search terms to narrow or broaden your search of library databases.