Developing a Search Strategy

A search strategy consists of the keywords in your topic sentence.

 

Topic Sentence: College students engage in risky behavior.

Keywords:

 

college students                 risky behavior

 

• Always identify synonyms or related words to help you obtain more results. Consult Merriam-Webster's Thesaurus Online- http://www.merriam-webster.com for additional terms.

   Synonyms for risky behavior:

 

         risk-taking                              risk-taking behavior

• Think about different ways to define risky.
  
  

   Merriam-Webster's Thesaurus offers these synonyms:

 

dangerous	grave	grievous	hazardous
jeopardizing	menacing	parlous	perilous
serious	threatening	unhealthy	unsafe

• Choose examples of specific risky behaviors:

   

   high-risk drinking                    substance abuse                 sexual risk-taking

• Obtaining a variety of terms allows you to develop a more sophisticated search strategy.

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