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So to reiterate, identify the main concepts in your research question by selecting nouns important to the meaning of your question. Leave out words that don’t help the search, such as adjectives, adverbs, prepositions and, usually, verbs.
Finding the main concepts in a research question is a lot like finding the main idea in an essay or story. Often the main idea is in the first paragraph, but not always. Sometimes it’s in a later paragraph or even in the conclusion. The same is true with research questions—the main concepts can be at the beginning, middle, or end. Stick to the nouns and only what’s necessary. Don’t read in concepts that are not really there. Be alert to words that may have connotations other than the concept you are interested in. For instance, if you identify depression as a main idea, beware that the search engine won’t automatically know whether you mean depression as a psychological state or as a condition of the economy or as a weather characteristic.
Example: How are birds affected by wind turbines?
The main concepts are birds and wind turbines. Avoid terms like affect (except the noun) and effect as search terms, even when you’re looking for studies that report effects or effectiveness. Why? Remember that while words such as affect/effect/effects/effectiveness are considered meaningful terms, and not stop terms, the search engine will look for them along with your key concepts. However, because the search engine will be looking for such terms, you could end up eliminating or limiting important results if there are sources about birds and wind turbines that never use the terms affect/effect/effects/effectiveness. While these terms, in addition to others such as advantages/disadvantages/pro/con, etc. are meaningful, they are non-stop words that can derail you from relevant results. For your purposes, such terms are more of a hindrance than a help. You as the searcher will need to read enough of the sources retrieved to determine if the concept of effectiveness, etc. is determinable for your purposes. This is where critical thinking comes in. You must make the decision as to whether or not something is pertinent to your needs by taking the time to understand enough of the content.
Example: What lesson plans are available for teaching fractions?
The main concepts are lesson plans and fractions. Stick to what’s necessary. For instance, don’t include: children—nothing in the research question suggests the lesson plans are for children; teaching—teaching isn’t necessary because lesson plans imply teaching; available—available is not necessary.
Sometimes your research question itself can seem complicated. Make sure you’ve stated the question as precisely as possible (as you learned in Research Questions). Then apply our advice for identifying main concepts as usual.
EXAMPLE: Does the use of mobile technologies as teaching tools detract from or enhance the classroom experience?
Acceptable main concepts are teaching tools and mobile technologies. Another possibility is mobile technologies and education.
Watch out for overly broad or overly specific terms. For example, don’t include:
- Educational experience (it misses mobile technology).
- Classroom distractions (too specific; remember that the search engine will search for exactly what is entered. Only sources containing these terms will appear in your results list, which means source that address your topic will not appear unless these exact terms are in the source).
- Technologies (too broad because the question is focused on mobile technology).
