Research Methods: search and evaluate

01

Plan a search before you type

In simple words

Before a big hunt, you write a shopping list. A search plan is a list of the ideas you need and all the different words people might use for each one.

Key facts

Break your research question into concepts (the main ideas). Each concept gets a row of synonyms and related words.
Do not make a concept for every word. Leave out words like "effect" or "impact" if they only describe the relationship.
Different authors use different words, so one list of synonyms finds more than one word alone.
Keep notes: the date, the database, the exact search and how many results you got. This is called a search log.

Example (concept table)

Question: How does phone use before bed affect teenagers' sleep?

Concept 1: phones	Concept 2: teenagers	Concept 3: sleep
phone, smartphone, screen time	teenager, adolescent, youth	sleep, sleep quality

Each column is joined with OR inside, and the columns are joined with AND (Lesson 2). This table has 3 x 3 x 2 = 18 different word combinations, all covered by one search.

Step by step

Write your research question in one sentence.
Underline the 2 to 4 main concepts.
Draw a table with one column per concept.
Under each concept, list synonyms, related words and different spellings.
Open a search log (a simple table) with columns: date, database, search, number of results, notes.
Check: every concept has at least two words, and your log has its first empty row ready.

LESSON 01Plan a search before you type

LESSON 01 / ANIMATED LESSON / AI VOICE00:00 / 01:00

Voice

Read the video script

[Host] "Typing your whole question into a search box is like asking a librarian a riddle."
[Text on screen: Concept table] "Break it into ideas: phones, teenagers, sleep."
[Screen: three columns with synonyms] "Under each idea, list other words people use: smartphone, adolescent, sleep quality."
[Screen: search log spreadsheet] "Write down every search you run. It saves time and proves your work."

Try it now

Turn your own research question into a concept table with 3 concepts and at least 2 words in each. Start a search log.

ClaudeStuck? Copy a ready-made prompt for Claude

Copy this, open Claude, paste it, and Claude will walk you through the lesson step by step.

For a grown-up: Claude is for adults (18+). Copy this, paste it into Claude, and use the answer to explain the lesson to your child.

I'm learning "Research Methods: search and evaluate" on The Future Market. Lesson 1: "Plan a search before you type".

What the lesson teaches:
- Break your research question into concepts (the main ideas). Each concept gets a row of synonyms and related words.
- Do not make a concept for every word. Leave out words like "effect" or "impact" if they only describe the relationship.
- Different authors use different words, so one list of synonyms finds more than one word alone.
- Keep notes: the date, the database, the exact search and how many results you got. This is called a search log.

The exercise I'm working on:
Turn your own research question into a concept table with 3 concepts and at least 2 words in each. Start a search log. ---

I'm stuck. Please:
1. Explain the main idea in plain, simple words with one everyday example.
2. Walk me through the exercise one small step at a time. Ask me what I've done so far before giving the next step.
3. Don't just give me the final answer. Help me do it myself, and check my work when I share it.

I'm a parent helping my child (about 8 years old) with a lesson called "Plan a search before you type" from the course "Research Methods: search and evaluate".

Here's what the lesson says:
Before a big hunt, you write a shopping list. A search plan is a list of the ideas you need and all the different words people might use for each one.

The activity:
Turn your own research question into a concept table with 3 concepts and at least 2 words in each. Start a search log. ---

Please explain this so an 8-year-old understands: short sentences, a fun everyday example, and no hard words.
Then give me 3 simple questions I can ask my child to check they understood, and a way to do the activity together, one tiny step at a time.

Open Claude

My notes

I learned this

02