Beforehand, it is important to have clearly identified your subject (see  Preparing your research ) to be able to identify the important concepts found there. The key words used to do the literature search will represent these concepts. To easily identify them, just imagine the ideal document: what key words should absolutely be there? Another trick is to simulate the shortest possible answer that can be provided to the journalist who asks us "What are you working on?" ". The significant words in this answer will contain the concepts.

Furthermore, a concept can be both a single word (ex: "contaminant") and an expression (ex: "lyfe cycle").

The more concepts identified, the more precise the results found because it is then required that the documents contain all the concepts identified.

Step 1  State the topic in a sentence or question

How are the issues related to the safety of the transporting of dangerous materials on Quebec territory characterized?

Step 2  retain only the significant words

Avoid terms that describe relationships between ideas and do not truly characterize the research topic. Examples: CHARACTERIZE, CAUSES, CONDITIONS, CONSEQUENCES, EFFECTS, ISSUES, SITUATION, OPTIMIZATION, TRENDS

Do not consider empty words like as HOW? It? The? Of? etc.

Now that the concepts are identified, they must be expanded with keywords. This is the focus step 2!

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