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Dissecting your research topic helps you to identify the keywords or concepts to use when you search for information from articles and books. To dissect your research topic:

1. Print or download a copy of the "Dissect Your Research Topic" handout linked in the box below. You can also view a completed sample worksheet.  
2. Complete the following steps on the worksheet: 
   1. Write down your initial research topic.
   2. Write down why you picked your topic.
   3. Underline the keywords in both your research topic and explanation. Then sort keywords by putting ones related to each other in the same column. 
   4. Create some keyword combinations to search with in a library database. Each combination should contain 3-4 keywords with only one keyword from each column.