It is also helpful to think of synonyms or words that are related to your most important concepts. Articles may use all kinds of terminology to describe the same idea, but the database will only look for the exact words you specify. If you try different terms, you may get different results.
It helps to make a table for your search terms before you start searching so you stay organized. For instance:
| Topic: Treating Children with Dyslexia | ||
| Dyslexia | Children | Treatment |
| Youth | Therapy | |
| Young People | Analysis | |
| Adolescents | Screening | |
Obviously, some keywords like "dyslexia" are very specific and do not have synonyms, but you'll find that searching synonyms for certain words results in different sets of results. You may find that terms that worked well in one database do not work well in another, or you may find that some synonyms do not seem to work anywhere. Keep fine-tuning your searches and using the terminology you identified to get better results. For instance, you may get different but equally helpful results from searching 1) dyslexia 2) youth 3) therapy vs. 1) dyslexia 2) children 3) treatment vs. 1) dyslexia 2) children 2) analysis.
It is also a good idea to jot down new terms that you come across while searching. Often article writers use professional jargon or phrases you have not heard before. Keeping track of those new terms may help you expand your search.
If you’re not sure what synonyms to try, you can also look for synonyms in a thesaurus such as this one:
http://thesaurus.reference.com
Databases will often have their own tesaurus as well. EBSCO has a link to it's thesaurus at the top of every page. Searching this provided thesaurus will give you an idea of how the database "thinks" about your keyword, and help you find words related to your topic.
