Once you have your research question, you can start to break your topic down into keywords.
A keyword is a word or phrase that describes the main concepts of your research topic.
For example, if your research topic is about "media and representation", your first step would be to brainstorm keywords that you would use to enter into a database to find sources to write your paper. Think about using broader or narrower terms, related terms and synonyms.
Start with brainstorming keywords for "media" and "representations" and you'll get:
Combine any of these keywords: one from the first group + one from the second = your search terms!
For example, if you pick the two keywords "television" and "gender", they can then become:
You can enter any of these keywords into a database and troubleshoot which keywords bring you the best results for your paper. If the first keywords you enter into a database don't return good results then keep trying the others on your list or come in to talk with a librarian!
Remember that keywords have a significant impact on your search results and using the RIGHT keywords will help you find resources faster. If the first keywords you choose don't give you the results you're looking for, go back to your list of keywords and try another combination.