| Step | Task |
|---|---|
| 1 | Frame your topic as a research question |
| 2 | Identify key terms within your research question. |
| 3 | Construct a search statement that consists of your key terms and appropriate Boolean operators. You may also need to incorporate parentheses as well. |
| 4 | Run your search. |
| 5 | Assess your results. |
| 6 | If the results aren't useful, go to Step 7. Otherwise, you're done. |
| 7 | Construct a search statement using variations of your key terms. |
| 8 | Run your revised search |
| 9 | Assess results of revised search. |
| 10 | If results of revised search are not useful, repeat Steps 7-9 until you get an acceptable set of results. Otherwise, you're done. |
Examples
| Topic | Research Question |
|---|---|
| Medical marijuana | How does medical marijuana help people with chronic pain? |
| Veganism | In what ways can veganism help the environment? |