Identify the Concepts. Once you have written down your topic, underline or circle the main concepts in the statement. Concepts are the different elements which make up search topics. Most searches can be broken down into two or three main concepts. List subject terms that describe the same concept in columns.
Subject terms can be important keywords, synonyms, or variant forms of words.
The thesaurus or subject headings for the database you are searching can help you select the appropriate terms to search for in that database. Combine the terms.