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ENG104: Introduction to Research Writing: Keywords & Searching

A purple background with the word Keyword on the left. To the right are 3 arrows labeled Video, Activity, Video to indicate the order to engage the page content

Keywords are simply those words you type into the search box to get the results you want. Just like in Google, you don't type your whole question, just the important words or terms that will help you get the answers. You must remember to treat the search engine like a computer. Use nouns (people, places, things, ideas) instead of verbs (actions). Verbs and adjectives (descriptors) are about relationships between things and search engines don't understand that. 

Step 1: Video

This video will walk you through a few different keyword strategies as well as explain why keywords are important and how we'll use them to search.

Step 1: Video

Image referenced in above video. Image is titled Keywords. There are three boxes in a line across the middle of the image. The middle box is labeled topic. The ones on either side are labeled synonym. An arrow points from each of these boxes toward a large box at the top labeled broader terms. There are also arrows from each of the middle boxes pointing toward a large box at the bottom of the page that is labeled narrower terms.
A slide with the same design as the previous slide. 3 boxes across the middle of the slide. With one larger box to the top. The middle boxes are labeled disparity, discrimination, and inequality from left to right. Arrows from each point up toward the large box on top labeled inequity, showing this topic is broader than the ones in the middle. An arrow from the box labeled disparity points to a box below it to show the topics inside are narrower. The topics are gap,
A slide titled keywords. There is a large triangle on the slide. It is spit into three tiers. The top tier is labeled Topic Narrowing Phase. The example inside that tier is
A slide titled Developing Keywords. There is a place to put your own research question at the top. Below that are 3 different columns labeled Concept #1, Concept #2, and Concept #3. In the middle of each column is a box to put your concept. There are slots above and below each of these to write broader terms above and narrower terms below.
A slide labeled Keyword Concept Maps. There is a small box at the top to put your research question. Below that are 3 empty hexagons for students to create concept maps of their topics in.

Step 2: Activity

Step 3: Video

This video will walk you through the process of selecting a topic, refining your research question, and how keywords can help you with both finding resources as well as narrowing your topic.

Step 3: Video

Developing my research question & thesis. Topic: Something social science-y about soccer, maybe in Spain Slightly narrower topic: Something about FC Barcelona & politics Preliminary question: What role does soccer play in Barcelona?
What did I find? Soccer against the enemy: how the world's most popular sport starts and stops wars, fuels revolutions, and keeps dictators in power. Catalonia has long been on losing side against Madrid and the Spanish government; most famously against Francisco Franco during the Spanish Civil War. Until his death in 1975, Franco banned the Catalan language and culture. A Barcelona citizen and fan said, “You couldn’t should ‘Franco, you murderer!’ on the streets, so people shouted at Real Madrid players instead.” (p.104) Summary: Soccer’s importance to Barcelona is due in part because it offered an outlet of Catalan pride during the Franco regime
What did I find? National identity, social institutions and political values. The case of FC Barcelona and Catalonia from an intergenerational comparison. Summary: Both generations see national identity and political values attached to FC Barcelona, but the older were more likely to view it as a tool to fight against Madrid, while the younger saw it as a symbol of the fight for independence
What did I find? The Role of Bullfighting and FC Barcelona in the Emancipation of Catalonia from Spain Summary: Bullfighting (which was banned in Barcelona) and FC Barcelona have been used by political parties to help push the “different from Spain” idea among the Catalan people
What did I find? The Media and the Construction of National Identities in Basque Football: Basques and Catalans Booing the Spanish National Anthem in the 2009 Cup Championship. Summary: Basque Country and Catalonia both have independence movements. Multiple times when these teams meet in the finals, they boo the Spanish anthem, a symbol of the Spanish government
Developing my research question & thesis. Focused Question: How is Futbol Club Barcelona significant to Catalan identity and independence? Answer = my thesis Futbol Club Barcelona cultivates Catalan identity by acting as a political platform for independence, an ambassador of cultural and political history and a counter to Spanish nationalism. Proving my thesis = my paper Now my job is to explain how those things leads to a unique Catalan identity with evidence gathered from my sources.