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Library Handout Packet 3
Library Handout Packet 3
Three-Step Process
From your thesis statement or research question, identify the main concepts or keywords. By creating a list of
keywords, you will be able to construct better and more efficient searches. These in turn will lead you to
more plentiful and relevant information supporting your thesis.
Follow the three-step process below for discovering keywords. It is helpful to keep track of the keywords on
a sheet of paper or a word processing document for reference.
1 https://www.seminolestate.edu/library
2
Now it is your turn to come up with search terms (or keywords) for your research. List as many as you can
think of in the space provided below. Highlights or circle the words that help you find what you are looking for
when you use them to search.
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athlete's mental health: sports psychology, mental well-being, performance anxiety, stress management,
psychological resilience, burn out, mental health awareness, depression, therapy, therapist, coping strategies,
mental health support, lack of confidence, self-care, sports-related trauma, motivation, mindset, mind-body
connection, mental toughness, focus, emotions, challenges, pressure, stress, strength, balance, sports psychiatry
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3
Phrase Searching
Enclose phrases, proper names, and titles with quotation marks. Adding quotations keeps all the words
together so the search engine, database, or library catalog does not search for them as individual words.
Examples:
physical activity → "physical activity"
Affordable Care Act → "Affordable Care Act"
Ernest Hemingway → "Ernest Hemingway"
Boolean Term: OR
Use OR to search with synonyms and expand results. With OR, you tell the search system that you are
equally interested in multiple terms. This is an ideal to search strategy to use with synonyms and is very effective
when combined with an AND term.
Examples:
→ "physical activity" OR exercise
→ elderly OR "aging adults" OR "older adults"
→ running OR cardio AND obesity
2 https://www.seminolestate.edu/library
4
Now it is your turn to come up with search statements for your research. List as many as you can think of in the
space provided below. Make sure to use the Boolean terms (and, or, not). Highlights or circle the statements
that help you find what you are looking for when you use them to search.
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athlete's mental health AND sports psychology, mental well-being AND performance anxiety in athletes, stress
management techniques AND athlete's mental resilience, mental health awareness campaigns AND athlete's
mental health, depression in athletes AND coping strategies, anxiety in sports AND psychological support,
emotional health OR well-being in sports, “pressure" NOT "physical stress" AND "athlete's mental toughness",
"overcoming challenges" AND "managing stress" NOT "avoiding problems", "sports psychology" OR "sports
psychiatry", "resilience" AND "mental strength" NOT "weakness", "mental health" AND "inside sports" NOT
"outside sports", "sports performance" AND "mental health support" OR "psychological assistance", "coping
strategies" OR "stress relief methods", "positive attitude" NOT "toxic positivity", "stressors in sports" AND
"psychological challenges" NOT "physical injuries", "emotional regulation" AND "mood management" NOT
"self-medicating",
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