LibGuides: Human Service Work-General: Planning your research

The Research Process

Choosing a topic and identifying keywords

CHOOSING YOUR TOPIC AND IDENTIFYING KEYWORDS
Write down your topic in the form of a question that you are going to find answers to through research. Your question should be narrow enough that you can address everything you want to say in your paper, but not too narrow that you don't have any research on the topic.

Consider the 5Ws when developing a research question: Who are we talking about? Where is this happening? What is the issue? When are we talking about? Why/how is this issue happening?

Next, identify keywords from your proposed topic that could help you find information. Brainstorm synonyms, related ideas, broader terms, narrower terms for these keywords. Combine these keywords in your search.
Mix and match the synonyms to expand your search.

ACCESSIBILITY TOPIC: How can students with disabilities access barrier-free higher education in North America?
Brainstorm synonyms or related terms.

Keyword Concept #1	Keyword Concept #2	Keyword Concept #3	Keyword Concept #4
accessibility	disabilities	education	higher education
access	disabled	school	college
availability	impairment	learning	university
barrier-free design	physical impairment	classroom

MENTAL HEALTH TOPIC: How can suicide be prevented in post-secondary student populations?
Brainstorm synonyms or related terms.

Keyword Concept #1	Keyword Concept #2	Keyword Concept #3	Keyword Concept #4
suicide	post-secondary	students	prevention
suicidal	higher education		reduction
suicidality	university		intervention
	college

MENTAL HEALTH TOPIC: What are the risk facors of eating disorders in males?
Brainstorm synonyms or related terms.

Keyword Concept #1	Keyword Concept #2	Keyword Concept #3
eating disorder*	male*	risk factors
anorexia	men or boys or males
body dissatisfaction
body image
body dysmorphic disorder
NB. Truncation of keywords can help expand your search. To truncate a word place an asterisk at the end of the root of the word as in: dysmorph* will find dysmorphia ; dysmorphic; dysmorphobia; dysmorphobic

Subject headings

Subject headings are like tags that resources are attributed when they contain enough content about a particular subject. Some ideas for subject headings you can try related to human service work:

Asperger's syndrome

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

Autism

Autism in children

Behavior disorders

Behavior modification

Bipolar disorder

Brain damage

Canada social policy

Dementia

Developmentally disabled

Disabled persons

Discrimination against people with

disabilities

Down syndrome

Dual diagnosis

Group relations training

Helping behavior

Human services

Interpersonal communication

Manic depressive

Mental illness

Obsessive compulsive

People with disabilities

People with mental disabilities

Social group work

Special education

Schizophrenia

Substance abuse