...or, in other words, one great way of thinking about and planning your research before you start looking.

Concept maps are visual representations of information, and can be especially useful for students who learn better visually, although they can benefit any type of learner.

In the case of the one below, after starting with the general topic 'climate change', other sub-topics related to climate change were added, which could help lead to a more focused climate change -related paper topic and / or create effective research questions.

From:  Concept Maps. (n.d.). Learning Center. Retrieved July 10, 2024, from https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/using-concept-maps/

Video Introduction to Concept-Mapping:

From: Belk Library. (n.d.). Concept Mapping for Developing your Research. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_8rNiW4A9A

Interactive Concept Map (from Ebsco)

• Available when you're using RamSearch. Lets you do concept-mapping online (main concept in the middle, the related concepts connected to it with lines; looking like spokes on a wheel, or like balloons on strings), with an alternate grid layout option.

• To access, click the Concept Map link on the left side of the RamSearch page, under "Research Tools". Concept Map opens in a new browser page or tab.

• You can click on topics related to a basic topic search you ran, and get more information about it, or add it to a list of concepts you want to add to a new search.

• Run that search by clicking the "See full results" button in the right-hand "Search Builder" area. See a preview of results, or choose to see them all, whereupon  you end up back on a regular (new) RamSearch page.

• You can click on the concept map and drag it around the screen to better see the various concepts. When you get tired of one map, just run a different search and start again.

• There's a short Video Tutorial from Ebsco - just click on the 'i' icon.