This content provides strategies in converting a research question into a database keyword search.

1. How to convert a
research question into
a database keyword
search
Created by: Maletta Payne
Emerging Technologies/Reference Librarian
Library Liaison for the School of Nursing
Southern University and A & M College
John B. Cade Library
Website: www.lib.subr.edu

2. Steps in converting a research question to a keyword search
1. Write your research question or topic.
2. Underline keywords
3. Under each keyword write down alternative terms by consulting
Subject Headings.
4. Use Boolean Operators AND, OR, NOT.
5. Enter your search strategy in the nursing database(s).
6. Apply limiters.
7. Search

3. From research question to keyword search example
1. Research question
2. Underline key concepts
Do teenagers with Type 1 diabetes
who receive phone tweet
reminders maintain lower blood
sugars than those who do not?

4. From research question to keyword search
example
3. Identify alternative terms from
keywords using Subject Headings.
4. Use Boolean Operators:
AND, OR, NOT
 Teenager USE Adolescence
 Type 1 diabetes USE Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1
 Phone Tweet Reminders USE Cellular Phone
Tweets
 Lower blood sugars USE Lower blood glucose
Teenagers AND Type 1 diabetes AND phone tweet
reminders AND lower blood sugars
Search Strategy #1
Adolescence AND Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1
AND Cellular Phone Tweets AND lower blood
glucose
Search Strategy #2

5. Search Strategy to enter into database
• Enter your search strategy in the
nursing database(s).
Teenagers AND Type 1 diabetes AND phone tweet
reminders AND lower blood sugars
Adolescence AND Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1
AND Cellular Phone Tweets AND lower blood
glucose

6. Finding Alternative Words
*Subject Headings
When you begin to look for information on a topic in nursing databases
(CINAHL, Health Source Complete, Medline), etc., it is often not
obvious which word or words to use for your topic.
Subject Headings can provide alternative keywords to use from your
research topic.

7. Search Strategy (Subject Headings)
Subject Headings
Databases
CINAHL Health Source Complete
Medline
Strategy for finding alternative terms/words.
Thesaurus
MeSH
CINAHL Headings
Subjects
Strategy for finding alternative words for your research

8. Subject Headings and Databases
Database
CINAHLSubject Heading = CINAHL HEADINGS
#1
#2
Subject Heading=Subjects
Database=Health Source

9. Subject Headings
Subject Headings=MeSH 2017
Database=MEDLINE
Facts about MeSH
• MeSH is the National Library of Medicine's
controlled vocabulary thesaurus.
• MeSH is continually revised and updated
annually.

10. Using Boolean Logic
Boolean Logic is converting a research topic to a
language databases understands.

11. Boolean Operators
Use Boolean Logic to narrow, broaden, or exclude search results.
Boolean logic consists of three logical operators: AND/OR/NOT
AND/NOT>>>>>>>>> (Decrease results)
OR>>>>>>>>>>>>>> (Increase results)

12. Boolean Operator AND
AND is used to connect two or more
keywords or phrases when all
keywords must appear in the
results.
Teenager
Type 1 diabetes
Phone Tweet Reminders
Lower blood sugar
Keywords from research question/topic
Teenagers AND Type 1 diabetes AND Phone Tweet Reminders
AND Lower blood sugar
Connecting keywords using Boolean Operator AND

13. Boolean Operator OR
OR is used to join similar or
related terms, thus broadening
your search results.
Connecting keywords using Boolean Operator OR
Teenagers & cell phones OR
cell phones and teenagers

14. Boolean Operator NOT
NOT is used to exclude
words from your database
search results.
Connecting keywords using Boolean Operator NOT
Teenagers NOT Adults

15. Advanced Search Techniques “Truncation”
What is Truncation?
Truncation, also called stemming, is a technique that allows you to
search for various word endings and spellings simultaneously.

16. Advanced Search Techniques “Truncation”
*To use truncation enter the root of a word and put the truncation symbol at
the end. The database will return results that include any ending of that root
word.
Examples:
child* = child, child’s, children, children’s, childhood
*GOAL in using truncation is to retrieve more results.

17. Advanced Search Techniques
“Truncation”
Truncation symbols may vary by database, the most common truncation symbols are:
* Asterisk
! Exclamation Mark
? Question Mark
# Hashtag
Look at the database “Help” screens to find out which symbol to use.

18. Search
Strategy Sheet
• Do teenagers with Type 1 diabetes
who receive phone tweet reminders
maintain lower blood sugars than
those who do not?
The Search Strategy Sheet is a tool
used to organize your research.