University Library: Library Research 101: Develop Keywords

DEVELOP KEYWORDS

Introduction
Keywords
Boolean
Advanced

Adapted from Houston Community College Libraries

Develop Keywords

What are Keywords?

Keywords are informative word(s) used in an information retrieval system to indicate the content of a document. Keywords should be the most important aspects of your topic and are usually 2-4 words or phrases.

Let's examine our research question to determine some keywords.

In the box below, roll over the important words and phrases that describe this topic. (You can ignore common words that don’t have a lot of meaning, such as prepositions, articles, and adjectives.)

How does the use of pesticides in agriculture affect food safety?

We might consider these keywords as well: