Guide to Research and Writing for the Academic Study of Religion
Keyword Searching
The first step in a keyword search is identifying appropriate keywords for your topic. This begins with an examination of your topic. Let's assume that you want to research the effect of British colonialism on relations between Hinduism and Islam in India.
Ask yourself: Are there any distinct terms or phrases that describe my topic?
Some keywords are pretty simple. In this case, some obvious keywords would be Hinduism, Islam, India, British, and colonialism. It is usually better to have more than one keyword or one key phrase, especially when your keyword is a somewhat general term like Hinduism or British.
Next: Think of synonyms, variations and related concepts for your keywords
For instance, as well as Islam you could also use Muslim and as well as colonialism you might also use imperialism. Here, it can be useful to brainstorm for more terms with the same or similar meanings as your current keywords.
Other examples:
- Veiling - veil, hijab, scarf, scarves, head coverings, modesty
- Women - female, females, gender, woman
- Islam - Muslim, middle east, islamic
See Combining Subject and Keyword Searches (Claremont University Consortium) for more searching tips.
Refining Your Keyword Searches
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If you are not getting enough search results, you need to broaden your search:
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If you get too many search results, you need to narrow your search:
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- Last Updated: Jun 9, 2022 2:27 PM
- URL: https://libguides.ucalgary.ca/research-and-writing-religion
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