Plan Your Search

1. Undertake background reading/viewing. Brainstorm with peers. Draw a concept map.
2. Identify key concepts from concept map, background reading and project ideas.
3. Identify synonyms or related terms. Consider alternative spellings, abbreviations or acronyms
4. Determine search limits such as date, geography and language
5. Decide on what type of information sources you need (journal articles, books, reports, conference papers, statistics)
6. What are the best search tools with which to find this information? QUT Library Search, Google Scholar, General academic or discipline-focused databases?

Concept mapping is a technique that helps you effectively organise your ideas. Mapping your ideas after completing background reading helps you to set goals for your assignment.

There are a number of things to do when creating a concept map:

1. Start with your major concept or research topic
2. Identify the main aspects (whom what, when, why and how?) and link these to your topic
3. Use keywords / brief phrases
4. Identify relationships between concepts
5. Develop and focus your concepts from general to specific
6. Review your concept map regularly.

There are four main kinds of concept maps. These include:

Source: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences 

Refer to Researching for the Built Environment and Engineering Professions, pages 2-7 & 12 for further information.