The Final Word... Remember that once you have successfully used a search string to find enough information on one aspect of your topic, you will need to change the search string to explore other aspects.

 

For instance, we might remove the "brain activity"/education concept from our search string and

replace it with behavior, or health, as television is known to affect children in these ways as well. 

Here are some examples of other ways we could have developed the search string for our topic

"How does television affect children?"

television AND child* AND education (television OR TV) AND (child* OR kids) "TV violence" AND teen* (violence OR advertising) AND pre-schoolers television AND violen* AND behavior television AND cartoons AND children NOT toddlers television AND ("child development" OR "child psychology") etc.

There are about as many keyword combinations as there are people on the planet.  Don't worry about getting the "perfect" search string.  Just find one that works for you and helps you find the information you need! 

Last but not least, remember that if you have tried different search string combinations and you are still not finding good information, your difficulties may have to do with something else, like perhaps the database or internet search engine you are using.  Their subject may not be appropriate for your research topic or perhaps database size may not be large enough, in which case, it is a good idea to switch to a different search tool.  If you have doubts about the appropriateness of the search tool you are using, ask a librarian or your teacher to help you.