HMSV 440W & HMSV 343: Program Development and Methods

Step #1 Keywords

Keywords are the words you type into the search box to find resources about your topic. What are the most important words in your research question? Think of synonyms for those words.

Example: How does exercise impact the mental health of college students?

Practice: Brainstorm possible keywords for this topic:

How do mentorship programs for new teachers impact have on teacher retention?

Step #2 Connecting Words

After you have decided on your keywords, you'll need to tell the database how they should be connected.

PRO TIPS:

• Use quotation marks with phrases to keep relevant results near the top of your results. For example, "after school"
• Start simple and broad, then work from there. After you see what is available, you can add in more keywords to make your results more specific.
• Look at the references in articles related to your topic. Chances are, some of them will be useful, and many databases provide direct links to references.

Most databases include the following features, usually located on the left-hand side of the screen or accessed by clicking on the article title. Look for them, and use them!

• Limit to peer-reviewed journals. This is not a 100% safety net but it is a good start. You'll still need to check to make sure that a resource is a research article and not a book review or editorial.
• Limit by date. You will want to find more recent research related to your agency.
• Email, cite, save. These tools can usually be accessed after clicking on an article title. Be careful with the cite feature, it often makes mistakes!

Remember, if you need full-text of an article and it isn't available, request it through Interlibrary Loan!

You will not find "one perfect source" for your topic. You'll probably find several articles that focus on one aspect of the agency that you want to focus on. For example, you may find an article about an after school program that focuses on homework help, but it may not be associated with the YMCA. You also may find an article that talks about how after school programs can help with character development and social growth, but may not focus on academic achievement.

The great thing about your MIND MAP is that it will allow you to see how all of the elements of your articles can connect.

Tips for keeping track of your research:

• Keep a journal, or write down your search strategies in each database.
• Save your articles in one place and name the files so that they make sense to you.
• Take notes on each article. Before beginning your assignments, read each article and summarize the main points of the purpose and conclusions.