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Research Help

This guide is a tutorial covering the basics of the academic research process.

Related Terms and Synonyms

 

When planning a search strategy, brainstorm related words or phrases for searching. When considering related terms:

  • Be flexible and come up with a variety of keywords and phrases
  • Try several different combinations of keywords and phrases when searching
  • Use dictionaries, thesauri, and other words that can be found in database records
  • Remember, that not all concepts/keywords will have related terms
  • Note that words such as effect or impact are of secondary importance in a research question - they are not main ideas

The figure below gives some examples of related terms for social media and online classroom.

Related terms for social media and online classroom

Social Media related terms: Facebook, Twitter (X), social networks

Online classroom related terms: online courses, asynchronous learning, web-based learning