This guide will provide access to resources from the MSU Library as well as other important links to outside resources for those interested in Children's and Young Adult Literature.
Unlike Google and other web searches, databases work best when you enter keywords instead of full phrases or questions.
Keywords represent the main ideas and concepts in your research topic. Things to remember:
Identifying main concepts within your research question/topic.
Research Question: How do high school seniors prepare to take the standardized tests?
Main Concepts: high school seniors, prepare, standardized tests (words like how, do, and, to, etc. are not important)
There are a few types of keywords that you can work with, depending on your topic.
How do I use the keywords I come up with in the databases?
Keywords can be combined in different combinations within the database to form "search strings" using connecting words like "AND" and "OR". Different keyword combinations will work better depending on the database, so having a list will help you from getting stuck.
TIP: Use "AND" to connect different concepts from your research question and "OR" to connect keywords for the same concept.