Brainstorming: Mind Maps
What are "mind maps"?
A mind map is an organic plan that does not require strict structure to help you take everything you know about a topic and put it onto a visual diagram in front of you. The information you might jot down can be what you already know about the topic through the news, social media, conversations with friends and colleagues, and previous classes you have taken. Mind maps are especially helpful to narrow down or mold your topic into something more specific (ex: "teaching social justice" to "behavioral outcomes of teaching critical race theory in preschool to second grade classrooms").
Mind Maps can also help you think of useful keywords to type in the search bar when looking for articles on Google Scholar, library databases, etc. Keywords can be anything such as:
- Organizations (ex: CDC, National Head Start Association)
- Groups of people (ex: LGBTQ+ teens, infants, parents, high school dropout)
- Key people (ex: Maria Montessori, Erik Erikson)
- Locations (a specific region of the U.S.? Is it an international program or in the U.S?)
- Dates (Any important dates that relate to your topic)
- Specialized Keywords (Any terms that are mainly used in your subfield or topic, not common terms)
You can make a mind map on anything, like an online app (Word) or on a piece of paper, it doesn't have to look perfect!
What should you do if you are hitting a wall in the idea phase? Reference sites such as our Sage Reference database are great places to head to when you are in need of more background information before you begin your search for full-text sources. Even wider-known knowledge tanks like Wikipedia can be really helpful in collecting keywords and gathering definitions. PLEASE NOTE that these sites are best used in the brainstorming phase and rarely ever used to in-text cite or have in your references page.
Are you ready to start looking for full-text scholarly sources? head over to one of our popular databases below and happy searching!
