Use Steps 1- 6 in the boxes below to find information on local sustainable food vendors. 

In each step, don't rely solely on the examples provided.

Use your own culinary knowledge to work through the steps.

Step 1: Identify the main concepts in your research question.

Step 2: Brainstorm keywords (search terms) that relate to your main concept.

Questions to ask yourself:

• Are there more specific words or subcategories that relate to this main concept? (Example: An oak is a kind of tree, so if you want information about trees, you might search for "oak")
• Are there more general/broad words or categories that relate to this main concept? (Example: A tree is a kind of plant, so if you want information about trees, you might search for "plant")
• Are there any synonyms (words that mean the same thing or almost the same thing) as the keywords I have already brainstormed? 

Step 3: Build your search by combining some of the keywords you brainstormed. Include words from each of the main concept categories.

Quick Tip

• Use quotation marks to group together words that represent a single idea, such as "West Michigan"

Step 4: Enter your keywords below and click search.

Step 5: Evaluate your initial search results.

Look at your initial search results, do you see the information you need?

• If yes- congratulations!
• If no
  • Dig deeper into the results and don't be afraid to click around. A local restaurant's website may tell you who their suppliers are, or the farmer's market may point you toward some great local vendors. You will just need to do a little digging.
  • You may need to move on to step 6.

Step 6: Improve your search.

If you didn't find what you needed in your initial search results:

• Try another set of keywords from your original brainstorming session.
• See if you can brainstorm better keywords based on what you did (or didn't) find in your initial search.
• Keep informal notes on what search terms you have tried and what you haven't tried so you don't end up doing the same unsuccessful search over and over again.

It is called REsearch for a reason. Sometimes you have to circle back to earlier steps and try different things. That is okay! It is all part of the research process.