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GEOL 1420: Historical Geology: Search Strategies & Keywords

Keywords

Our library databases have great resources, including thousands of peer-reviewed articles.  However, the databases are much more particular about the words you enter.   The results will contain the words exactly how you spelled them.  For example, a search for "Geology" will not find books or articles that say "Geological" instead.

Also, sometimes the words researchers use are not words that we would use in our everyday life.  That is why it is really important to brainstorm possible keywords before you start searching. 

For example, possible keywords may be: "hydrologic cycle," anthropogenic, climate change, global warming, biota, etc.

Thesauri

Sometimes, databases have thesauri that suggest broader, narrower, or related terms.