Understand your topic:
Write your topic as a question:
Before beginning to find sources to use in your assignment, essay, project or thesis, you need to have some idea what it is you're looking for. Information on this page will help you to develop a strategy for searching.
A search strategy is an organised structure of key terms used to search a database. The search strategy combines the key concepts of your search question in order to retrieve accurate results. (Leeds Uni)
Academic Staff: To further support learners, we have developed a class on successful searching. These sessions can be booked by contacting us here.
Students: Attend one of our Library & Information Skills Tutorials (LIST) or take one of our interactive LIST Online Tutorials.
Concept mapping is a form of brainstorming. It uses a cluster diagram that illustrates how ideas are related. This type of graphical tool typically uses circles or boxes to represent concepts and connecting lines to map relationships. It can help organize your thoughts.