You are now ready to start collecting search terms. Extract the most important topics from your sub-questions and use them as search terms. Collecting the right concepts is very important. If you use the right search terms, your search will yield much better results.
Tip: Use the Search strategy form for deskresearch to keep track of the search terms you have already collected.
Do you find it difficult to come up with good search terms? Then use the following tips:
Search terms: example
Main research question:
"What is the influence of the food on offer in school canteens on obesity among Dutch university of applied sciences students over te past 10 years?"
Sub-questions:
"What measures are being taken in school canteens to combat obesity among students?"
"What influences the food choices of university of applied sciences students?"
"What changes have taken place in the food on offer in school canteens over the past 10 years?"
You can derive the following search terms from the main and sub-questions above. In section 3 you can read how to combine search terms in a clever way.
| Subject | Search term |
| Obesity | overweight, obese, healthy weight |
| Canteens (university of applied sciences) |
school canteen, higher education, students, adolescents, schools |
| Measures |
regulations, prevention, guidelines, nudging, influences, improve, dietary, eating, behaviour, interventions, healthy, healthier, unhealthy, food choices, food supply, candy, fast food, vending machines, junk food, fruit, low-calorie foods |