Step 3: Develop search terms
This page will discuss the importance of developing your search terms, along with resources to help you with this step.
The key to successful searching is choosing the right search terms an it is worth taking time to get these right.
Make sure you look at your preliminary search results (for example from your background search in step 1) for additional words or phrases that you can include in your search.
Use synonyms (similar words), antonyms (opposite words), related words, acronyms, abbreviations and different terminology to improve your search.
Take some time to look at your question and search terms, and think of as many of these alternatives as possible to add into your search strings. Using a thesaurus will help.
Keep your search clean and lean - avoid using vague words and phrases like the following as these are not key concepts and are rarely helpful in searching.
You should be prepared to adapt and refine your search as you go as it is unlikely your first results will be perfect.
Below are a few extra resources with more detail on selecting your search terms.
More about selecting search terms
Try using a thesaurus to help you. Below are links to our own Health Thesaurus and a more general thesaurus.
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