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Dance: Keyword Searching

Guide to Dance resources in the UCSB Libraries

OBJECTIVES & STRATEGIES

OBJECTIVES

To get a small group of relevant records.
To locate sources that will enhance your understanding and analysis of one or more aspects of your complex research question and topic statement.

STRATEGIES

Keyword (start with) vs. subject searching (end with for efficient and more relevant results)
Use keywords that describe what you are looking for.
Be specific.
Do multiple searches, using different combinations of keywords.
Synonyms are your friends; there are many ways to say the same thing.
Bibliographic records and reference books are good sources of keywords you haven't thought of.

KEYWORDS CAN BE...

Names and other proper nouns
Titles
Organizations
Authors
People
Places
Ethnicities
Geographic regions
Historical periods
Specific policies
Specific legislation or laws
Events
Professions
Theories
Issues
Types of information (e.g., oral history, statistics)
Anything and more
THINK CREATIVELY

SAMPLE KEYWORDS

General keywords that can be used in combination with more specific keywords related to many topics.

SOURCES (the Library of Congress subject heading for primary sources)
public polic*
government*
politic*
econom*
reform
history
gender, women, feminis*
rights
conditions
legal, laws, or legislation
case studies
attitudes
psycholog*

Forms and strategies of resistance by women prisoners?

activism of women prisoners

incarcerated women

women inmates
women prison* AND united states AND resist*
women prison* AND united states AND activi*
women prison* AND united states AND protest*