Research process
The research process is not linear, but is iterative. If you're new to university research, take a look at the Research Basics guide.
Finding Terms
Controlled language - Many databases have a thesaurus which will tell you what terms that database uses to describe a concept. You may be able to check by spelling in alphabetical order (Term Begins With) or by relevancy. Others have a simple subject term list.
Anti-racism is generally used with a hyphen, but you may see antiracism, especially if an author has used that spelling.
Academic Search Complete, Business Source Complete, ERIC, MLC International Bibliography, PsycINFO, and SocINDEX with Full Text are some popular databases with a thesaurus or subject list. You may also be interested in guides for specific racial and ethnic groups, such as Keywords African American Studies.
Search strategy
For databases, instead of typing in a search question, pull out the concepts into separate groups, include synonyms and related terms, and combine them with Boolean terms.
Question: How has racism effected retention of African American employees in the in the workplace?
Concepts (with synonyms or related terms):
- RACISM (discrimination, prejudice)
- AFRICAN AMERICANS (black)
- WORKPLACE (job)
- RETENTION
Boolean search:
