 Hello and welcome. In this video, we're going to talk about how to generate keywords. We'll start with what keywords are, how they help you with your research, and finally, how to come up with useful ones for your area of interest. All research starts with a question. If you frequently use consumer search engines, you may be used to typing your whole question into the search bar and quickly getting the answer. These search engines are designed to recognize and ignore common question words like what and articles and prepositions like the and in and only return the results that it thinks you actually want. When you start your research at the library, however, you may find that this method doesn't work. This is because the search engine on the library's website isn't making assumptions about which words are more important than others and is searching for every word you enter. This is why it is important to create a list of only the most important and relevant words in your research question and search using those instead. When you start thinking about which keywords might be the most helpful, look for unique or specific words in your research question. Words related to a time or place, a person, or a concept or field can all help you get the most relevant results. Let's try our search again this time using our keywords. Already, we're seeing more results and sources which might be more useful. But even if the sources you're finding are not quite right, you can look through their records and keep an eye out for commonly repeated words that are unique or specific and add those to your list of potential keywords. You should also think about synonyms for your keywords that are both broader and narrower. Broader terms will return more results, but they will likely be less relevant. These terms are better for when you're just starting your research and are on the hunt for more sources and more keywords. Narrow keywords will result in fewer but more relevant sources. They are better for later on in your research when you know specifically what you are looking for and what you are not. Research can sometimes be more of an art than a science. So if you don't find what you're looking for right away, don't worry. Keep trying different words in different combinations, and if you're still having trouble, reach out to a librarian for help. Good luck with your research. For more information, contact us at library at tulane.edu or visit our website library.tulane.edu.