Identify and Prioritize the Key Concepts in Your Search Question
All searching begins with a question that you want to answer. Keep in mind that librarians are available to assist if you're struggling with how to formulate your idea into a searchable question.
For our purposes in the context of this guide we'll be using the following question:
Is acupuncture an effective intervention in the treatment of neck pain?
Once you have your question, identify the concepts you'll be searching for. In the question above the primary concepts, acupuncture and neck pain, are indicated in bold.
If you identify several concepts that are important, prioritize your list and begin your search with the two most important concepts first.