Always think about different ways to say the same thing. Start with keywords to describe your topic, within results, read the abstract and look at the subject headings to identify additional keywords to use and revise the search (if needed).
Retrieve too many results? Limit to scholarly articles, limit words to subject
KEEP TRACK of the databases and strategies you use
Search Strategies:
Start with keywords (place phrases in quotes), use connectors (or / and) and look for the subject headings specific to each database.
place phrases in quotes so the whole phrase will be searched together and not the words individually
"national security"
"nonverbal communication"
"oral communication"
"persuasive communication"
"communication skills"
"crisis communication"
"strategic communication"
"rhetorical appeals"
"public speaking"
"effective speeches"
"five cannons"
|
persuasi* = persuasive or persuasion | ||
| female* = female or females | image* = image or images | ||
| psycholog* = psychology or psychological | motivat* = motivate or motivates or motivating or motivator | ||
| emotion* = emotion or emotions | effective* = effective or effectiveness |
use - or - to connect synonyms or like concepts
any of the words can be present
image* or visual
female* or women
"nonverbal communication" or "body language"
pathos or ethos or logos
use - and - to connect concepts
all terms must be included
"nonverbal communication"
and
speeches
------
communication
and
gender or women or female*
and
speeches
------
speeches or addresses
and
ethos or pathos or logos
The name of the speech
The name of the speaker
----
persuasi* and rhetoric* and gender and speech*
YOKOYAMA, H., & DAIBO, I. (2012). Effects of Gaze and Speech Rate on Receivers’ Evaluations of Persuasive Speech. Psychological Reports, 110(2), 663–676
persuasi* and rhetoric* and ethos
"nonverbal communication" and speeches
"nonverbal communication" and speeches and effective*
If your searches retrieve articles dealing with aphasia or autistic you can use the NOT connector:
"nonverbal communication" and speech* and effective*
NOT
Aphasia or autistic or child*
-------
"national security"
and
environment* or "climate change"
------
"border security"
and
barrier*
______
drug*
and
border
and
security
Possible keyword combinations - substitute the title of your speech for boston marathon bombing
"boston marathon bomb*" and rhetoric*
"boston marathon bomb*" and rhetoric* and speech* = if you retrieve too many results and they are not about the specific speech
"boston marathon bomb* speech" and "crisis communication"
"boston marathon bomb*" and speech* and "crisis communication"
"boston marathon bombing speech" and "rhetorical analysis"
"boston marathon bombing speech" and effective*
"boston marathon bomb* and obama and speech
Other strategies:
ethos pathos logos
and
speeches or addresses
--------
rhetoric*
and
analysis or evaluation or review
and
speeches or addresses
