Step 1: Brainstorm Search Terms

Research Worksheet

Brainstorm keywords and phrases that could be used as search terms to help you find information. Are there synonyms or alternate phrases that might be helpful? Example:

TOPIC: Meanness	SUB-TOPIC: Responsible
being mean hostility aggression bullying negative acts	responsibility moral responsibility behavior self-control psychological aspects emotional intelligence impulse control

TOPIC: Meanness

SUB-TOPIC: Responsible

being mean

hostility

aggression

bullying

negative acts

responsibility

moral responsibility

behavior

self-control

psychological aspects

emotional intelligence

impulse control

Definition & Brainstorming Tools:

American Psychological Association Topics
Browse topics related to meanness to find definitions and short articles from psychology experts.
Oxford English Dictionary
Find definitions and synonyms for potential search terms.
Pyschology Database Topic Finder
Use the Psychology database Topic Finder to see how your topic is connected to other topics, brainstorm terms, and get new ideas.
Wikipedia: Meanness
Use the Wikipedia entry on "meanness" to brainstorm potential key terms.
Merriam-Webster Thesaurus & Dictionary
Find definitions and synonyms that can help you brainstorm search terms and narrow your research.

Step 2: Browse Topic in Primo

Use the advanced search features in the Primo Smart Search tool to break your search into keywords and concepts.

Do not use sentences and questions in the search box! Databases do not work like Google.
Put one concept in each line. Connect alternate terms with OR to broaden your search. Example:
- Line 1: meanness OR hostility OR bullying
- Line 2: emotional intelligence
- Line 3: high school students OR teenagers
Practice click restraint. Browse your topic by scanning titles and subject terms in the results for additional keywords to add to your list.
Experiment with search terms. See how your results change. Highlight the most useful terms on your worksheet!

Primo Smart Search

Step 3: Find Articles

Once you've refined your search terms, find the most relevant articles by narrowing your database results by type of article, date, full-text, and more.
You can also try searching in a subject-specific database. Some recommendations are listed below, or you can view the full list of databases by subject using the link below.

View Full List of Databases by Subject

Background Articles
Lots of great articles on psychology topics like hostility, bullying, and more!

Gale E-books
Formerly Gale Virtual Reference Center. Find articles in encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research. A great place to search for background information on any topic.

Psychology Databases

Psychology
Find information from 200 full-text periodicals in psychology.
Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
This full-text database is an essential tool for psychologists, counselors, researchers and students, providing extensive coverage for a broad range of subjects in the fields of psychology, behavioral sciences and related disciplines.
PsycArticles
A database of journals published by the American Psychological Association and Canadian Psychological Association.

Science & Health Databases

Science
200 full-text science journals, science reference titles, thousands of multimedia records, science glossary, as well as national and state science standards.
CINAHL Ultimate
CINAHL is the world's most comprehensive source of full text for nursing & allied health journals including dental, radiography, physical therapy, pharmacy technology, and other allied health fields.

Current Event Databases
Check out Opposing Viewpoint's topic pages on bullying, hazing, cyberbullying, and more for viewpoints, news, research, and more.

General OneFile
Find general interest articles on current events, popular culture, business, sports, hobbies, and more in magazines, newspapers, and reference books
News
Find full-text articles from U.S. and foreign newspapers, including the New York Times, dated from 1980.
Opposing Viewpoints
The database brings together viewpoint articles, contextual topic overviews, government and organizational statistics, court cases, newspaper and magazines articles on social issues.

Education Databases

ERIC
ERIC provides education literature to support the use of educational research and information to improve practice in learning, teaching, educational decision-making, and research.
Education Source
This database provides scholarly research and information to meet the needs of education students, professionals, and policy makers. It covers all levels of education.

WTMC

Step 1: Brainstorm Search Terms

Definition & Brainstorming Tools:

Step 2: Browse Topic in Primo

Use the advanced search features in the Primo Smart Search tool to break your search into keywords and concepts.

Do not use sentences and questions in the search box! Databases do not work like Google.

Put one concept in each line. Connect alternate terms with OR to broaden your search. Example:

Line 1: meanness OR hostility OR bullying

Line 2: emotional intelligence

Line 3: high school students OR teenagers

Practice click restraint. Browse your topic by scanning titles and subject terms in the results for additional keywords to add to your list.

Experiment with search terms. See how your results change. Highlight the most useful terms on your worksheet!

Step 3: Find Articles

Once you've refined your search terms, find the most relevant articles by narrowing your database results by type of article, date, full-text, and more.

You can also try searching in a subject-specific database. Some recommendations are listed below, or you can view the full list of databases by subject using the link below.

Background Articles
Lots of great articles on psychology topics like hostility, bullying, and more!

Psychology Databases

Science & Health Databases

Current Event Databases
Check out Opposing Viewpoint's topic pages on bullying, hazing, cyberbullying, and more for viewpoints, news, research, and more.

Education Databases

WTMC

Step 1: Brainstorm Search Terms

Definition & Brainstorming Tools:

Step 2: Browse Topic in Primo

Use the advanced search features in the Primo Smart Search tool to break your search into keywords and concepts.

Do not use sentences and questions in the search box! Databases do not work like Google.

Put one concept in each line. Connect alternate terms with OR to broaden your search. Example:

Line 1: meanness OR hostility OR bullying

Line 2: emotional intelligence

Line 3: high school students OR teenagers

Practice click restraint. Browse your topic by scanning titles and subject terms in the results for additional keywords to add to your list.

Experiment with search terms. See how your results change. Highlight the most useful terms on your worksheet!

Step 3: Find Articles

Once you've refined your search terms, find the most relevant articles by narrowing your database results by type of article, date, full-text, and more.

You can also try searching in a subject-specific database. Some recommendations are listed below, or you can view the full list of databases by subject using the link below.

Background Articles Lots of great articles on psychology topics like hostility, bullying, and more!

Psychology Databases

Science & Health Databases

Current Event Databases Check out Opposing Viewpoint's topic pages on bullying, hazing, cyberbullying, and more for viewpoints, news, research, and more.

Education Databases

Background Articles
Lots of great articles on psychology topics like hostility, bullying, and more!

Current Event Databases
Check out Opposing Viewpoint's topic pages on bullying, hazing, cyberbullying, and more for viewpoints, news, research, and more.