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COMM 101 (Natale) FA24

Introduction

Welcome COMM 101!

I'm here to support you with your research.

svonwinckelmann@miracosta.edu

Crafting Keywords

Turn your main speech topics into keywords.

Career Informational  Persuasive

What’s the career?

What is your focus? (Job outlook? Education requirements?)

Keywords: “graphic design” AND “job growth”

Are there key facts, processes, or phenomena you’re explaining?

Topic: The role of renewable energy in combating climate change

Keywords: "renewable energy" AND "climate change"

What’s your position? Are there any counterarguments you need to address? 

Topic: The need for stricter gun control laws

Keywords: "gun control" AND "public safety"

Advanced Search Techniques

  • "Phrase Searching" keeps concepts together by placing them in quotation marks.
    • Example: “graphic designer” AND “job growth” 
  • Use AND to join keywords in the same search:
    • AND ensures all keywords appear (e.g., “social media” AND privacy).

Database Search Tips

1. Start Broad, Then Narrow - Break your topic down into smaller parts and search for each aspect separately.

  • First, search for “renewable energy"
  • and then search “climate change" before combining the two.

2. You May Not Find Everything in One Place

It’s unlikely that a single source will cover all aspects of your topic. Instead, think of each source as providing bits of the overall picture.

3. Try Different Keyword Combinations

Experiment with different combinations of keywords to find the best results.

Databases

Databases

More Databases

Scholarly Articles

Checking Media Bias