Where to Find Keyword Clues

You will need appropriate keywords to construct searches when using the databases. Keywords will help you refine and narrow your search.

Start with the Assignment Prompt

You can often find keywords in your assignment prompt to help you construct searches.

Background Articles

• Research Starter Articles
• Gale eBooks

NOTE: Always check the publication date for the articles. You can get basic information and look for keywords, but always follow up with searches for up-to-date information if the article is somewhat dated. 

In the excerpt above, you can find names of organizations that might be useful search terms. Names of legislation such as the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act could also be important search clues. 

Keywords in Database Records

Once you start searching in the databases, continue to look for clues because you can frequently discover keywords in the search results list. Look in the following places in the individual database records:

Examine the following record fields for keywords and ideas   SUBJECTS TITLES ABSTRACTS OR DESCRIPTIONS

Notice that there is a SUBJECTS specifically on "Mass Media & Race" relations so you might want to combine that term with Japanese and immigration.  If you are interested in the this topic as it relates to California, you might want to add the term "West Coast".