Brainstorm keyterms
To begin your research, you must identify appropriate keyterms for your search. This can be particularly tricky if you're trying to disprove a myth or a specific idea. In such cases, it's often helpful to consider the opposite of the myth.
For example, if you aim to disprove the myth that your brain shuts off when you sleep, your goal is to find information that supports the opposite – that there is brain activity during sleep. This gives you two core search concepts: "brain activity" and "sleep."
Use PsycINFO's Advanced Search
From the database’s homepage, click Advanced Search below the search line to build a search:
To best use PsycINFO's Advanced Search, best practice is to enter each unique concept of your topic on a separate line that appears in Advanced Search. This method allows PsycINFO to process each concept individually and then combine them logically, leading to more precise and comprehensive results. It also makes it easier to incorporate those suggested synonyms and equivalent terms for each specific concept.
When you use the Advanced Search, notice that the database provides helpful suggestions for equivalent terms or synonyms to broaden your results.
So, your advanced search may look like this:
Now, press Search!
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