Write down the key concepts from your topic and have a go at brainstorming as many alternative keywords and phrases as possible.
Thinking about your topic in this way forces you to describe your topic in "other words", which will provide you with some useful keyword alternatives as well as help you to cement your understanding of the topic.
| Key concepts | Alternate keywords and synonyms |
| preparedness of community | emergency preparedness, public education/information, community awareness, prediction, warning systems, training, hazard identification and mitigation, response plans... |
| event impact | disaster recovery, environmental change, survivor care, impact study, redevelopment, rehabilitation... |
| command, control and coordination | emergency response, first responders, evacuation, damage assessment, communication, search, rescue, quarantine, relief centres, information sharing... |
note: this is just an example using some of the key concepts. Continue brainstorming to develop a list of keywords relevant to your chosen event.
You will need to include keywords specific to your chosen event. This might include the name or location of your event, and selecting keywords appropriate to the type of event. For example the environmental impacts of a disease outbreak would differ from those of an oil spill and would require different keywords when searching for relevant information.
Dictionaries and encyclopaedias can help you to find additional keywords and get an overview of the concept.
Oxford Reference Online is a huge repository of subject-specific dictionaries, encyclopaedias, and other reference-type material.
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