Main Concepts

Once you have articulated your research question, the next step in your search strategy is to chunk your question down into distinct main concepts.  A research question typically will be comprised of 2-4 main concepts.  Here are some examples:

 

Research Question Main Concepts
What recruitment and retention issues are impacting the ongoing nursing shortage?
  • nursing shortage
  • retention
  • recruitment
What is the effect of an experimental clinical teaching method on nursing students' knowledge and critical thinking skills in psychiatric rotation?
  • experimental clinical teaching method
  • nursing students
  • knowledge/critical thinking skills
  • psychiatric rotation
Does the use of clickers (classroom response systems) in the classroom increase clinical reasoning and problem solving?
  • clickers
  • classroom
  • clinical reasoning/problem solving
How do cultural differences impact therapeutic humor in nursing education?
  • cultural differences
  • therapeutic humor
  • nursing education