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Plan your search strategy

You've got your assignment topic. Now what do you do?
​
Follow the steps below to plan your research strategy.

1. Understand the question
The first step to research is to understand the question you have been asked.

Read the question and criteria sheet carefully. This will show you the areas you will be graded on.
​
Highlight the key words and action words in your question
2. Brainstorm
Take a couple of minutes to brainstorm the question you have been asked.
Write down:
  • everything you know (or think you know) about your research question
  • what you need to find out
  • any questions you might have about the topic
This will help you clarify the question, and show you the areas you understand and don’t understand and identify what you will and won’t focus on in your research.
3. Identify key terms
By breaking down your research question into its key terms, you can identify what you are being asked to do. Don’t forget to list word variations and plurals.
4. Find synonyms
Once you identify your key terms, look for synonyms (other words with a similar meaning that you can use in your search).

​You can use http://www.thesaurus.com/ to come up with some ideas. 
5. Identify missing key terms
Write down the missing words in your question. These might be words about your topic that are not directly mentioned in the question.
6. Plan your search
​If you are using a book, think of what terms you might find in the index or table of contents.

If you are using Google, think of the keywords you might find on the website.

See the Google search tips page on BHSLibraryOnline.com for tips to develop your search strategy.
​
Don't ask Google questions!
Google scans websites for all the words typed into the search bar.

Instead of asking Google a question, think about how the answer would be phrased and search for that.

Plan your search strategy


Download a copy of the template here.

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2020 Ballarat High School ​Library
  • Home
  • Subject Guides
    • Year 7 >
      • Ancient China
      • Ancient Egypt
      • Ancient Greece
      • Ancient Rome
      • Australian Government
      • Hidden Figures
      • Once
    • Year 8 >
      • Crow Country
      • Medieval Europe
      • Shogunate Japan
      • Vikings
    • Year 9 >
      • Australian History
      • Industrial Revolution
    • Year 10 >
      • Earth & Space
      • Law
      • Presenting Argument
      • Romeo and Juliet
      • World War 2
    • Year 11 >
      • Hamlet
      • The Hate U Give
      • Macbeth
      • Presenting Argument
    • Year 12 >
      • Emily Dickinson
      • The Longest Memory
      • Nine Days
      • North and South
      • Presenting Argument
      • Rear Window
      • Twelfth Night
      • History: Revolutions >
        • American Revolution >
          • General Resources
          • Databases
          • Causes of the Revolution
          • Consequences of the Revolution
          • Groups
        • French Revolution >
          • General Resources
          • Databases
          • Causes of the Revolution
          • Consequences of the Revolution
        • Study Skills
    • Presentation Tools
  • eBooks
  • Research Skills
    • Bibliographies
    • Evaluating Resources : RADAR
    • Google search tips
    • Fake News
    • Plagiarism
    • Plan your search strategy
    • Search Engines
    • Tutorials
  • Search
  • Suggest a Book
  • Teacher Resources
    • eSafety and Digital Citizenship
    • Learning Mentors
    • Research Skills Posters
    • Research Worksheets
    • Web Tools
  • Reading Lists