Sustainability

Why Keywords?

• Because good keywords are essential to good research.
• The more keywords you can think of, the more likely you will find what you are looking for.

Why Synonyms?

Synonyms make your list of keywords longer. More keywords = better searching = more results. Look at the example below to get an idea of how synonyms can broaden your understanding of a given concept:

Our Advice: 

• Make lists of keywords for the main concepts of your research topic.
• Use single words or simple phrases.
• Be prepared that this may all change as you learn more information through your research.
• Be flexible and adaptable in your thinking.
• Use a thesaurus to help generate synonyms.

Many library resources offer the option to combine your keywords using AND, OR, & NOT.  This can also be useful when searching online.  Use quotation marks to search for a name or phrase.

• AND = All words must be present; helps limit the search.
  • sustainable AND food system
  • sustainability AND natural resources
  • food security AND united states
• OR = Great for synonyms or variations of the same concept; helps broaden the search while staying within the subject area.
  • sustainable OR sustainability
  • sustainability OR conservation
  • tiny houses OR tiny homes
  • sustainable AND (agriculture OR farming)
  • wind farms OR wind power plants OR wind turbines
• NOT = Exclude an unrelated term, or to weed out irrelevant results.
  • renewable energy NOT biofuel
  • (food waste AND restaurants) NOT grocery
  • (daylighting AND commercial) NOT residential