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GEOG 129 Human Geography: Resources, Development and Society

Value of a Research Strategy

Taking the time to sit down and plan scope out your research strategy is always a good idea. It will:

  1. It will get you focused on developing a good thesis statement
  2. Knowing the right question to ask will allow you to better explain it to a librarian.
  3. It will allow you to start developing a list of keywords and keyword phrases to use in your searching
  4. It can assist you to better manage your time
  5. It will allow you to develop a plan to manage the information that you discover and incorporate that information into your assignments.

My Kingdom for the Right Keywords

Keywords and phrases are how we search in OCtopus and e-journals, and research databases.

The best starting point to deconstruct the research topics that you have been given. For example,

Identify the major types of Climate Change that will be impacting Canada by 2050.

 

Keywords  Alternative Keywords
Climate Change "Climate emergency" "crisis or breakdown" and "global heating"  "global warming"
Canada North America, Specific Canadian Provinces or Major Cities
Impacting Impact or Impacts

 

Where Do I Find These Alternative Keywords

They're everywhere:

  1. Your Lectures and Lecture Notes
  2. Background Reference Sources
  3. Books and E-Books
  4. Journal Articles and their Reference Lists 
  5. Textbooks
  6. Webpages - especial those from Universities and Colleges

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