
What you need to know about constructing the most effective keyword search strategy:
- Use keywords and or phrases that best describe what you're looking for; start specific then be more general depending on your results
- The objective is to retrieve a small group of relevant records.
- Anything can be a keyword - people, places, time periods, events, types of information (e.g., personal narrative), issues, and more can be keywords.
- Try multiple keyword and or phrase searches.
- Reference books (academic encyclopedias, handbooks, and dictionaries) are good sources for effective keywords, and background/factual information.
- Consider searching specific fields (e.g., title, subject ) to narrow or broaden results
Sample KEYWORD searches for sources (books, chapters, and articles) the Black Arts Movement and identity.
- black arts movement (basic search)
- black arts movement AND identity (advanced search)
- black arts movement AND idenity AND baraka
- african americans AND national characteristics (Advanced search)
- race identity and african american* (Basic search)
- American identity AND african americans (Advanced search)