COMM 299  

Developing Your Search Strategy

• Make a thesis statement about your assignment. What is your project going to answer or develop? What do you already know about your topic?
• Look over your assignment. Highlight the main point and key words you need for your search strategy.
• Identify key concepts. What two or three words describe the major points of your project?
• Think about alternate forms and synonyms of the words used.
• Develop "concept blocks", each concept block made of similar words that describe a topic, then link the topics together to see if you can get specific information about your thesis statement

Starting Your Search

• Use reference sources to get a broad overview of your topic.
• Use books to gain more background and depth about the topic.
• Move finally to journal articles to gain more current information and targeted specific facts and updates about the topic, and to substantiate your theories and research.
• Use reliable websites sparingly to add currency and authority if you are unable to find the materials in other ways.