Now let's apply everything you have learned to our example topic. Remember the concept table we compiled for this topic? We will use it to translate the thesis statement into search statements
Thesis statement:
The non-English American colonists' reasons for immigrating varied from one country to another.
Your first search might be
Syntax: primary term AND secondary term
Search statement: colonists
AND America
Your second search might be
Syntax: primary term AND secondary term NOT aspect term
Search Statement: colonists
AND America
NOT English
If you were concerned that you had not retrieved all relevant items on non-English colonists, your third search might be
Syntax:
(term1 OR term2 OR term3) AND secondary term NOT aspect term
Search statement:
(immigrants
OR settlers
OR colonists)
AND America
NOT English
Did this look complicated? Let's break the search statement syntax apart.
Thesis statement:
The non-English American colonists' reasons for immigrating varied from one country to another.
