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Shimberg Health Sciences Library & Florida Blue Health Knowledge Exchange

How to Improve Your Searches

How to Construct a Concept Chart

The concept chart is a method of organizing your search concepts.  In a search for how healthcare disparities influences infant mortality, add healthcare disparities in Concept 1 column and OR all the synonyms.  Add Infant Mortality to the Concept 2 column and OR all those synonyms.  Next AND Concept 1 and Concept 2 to find the overlap.

Here we have two examples of how a concept chart can be organized. These are not the only way to set up your searches, but rather a way to help you think about how to break down and organize your searches. 

 

Vertical Concept Chart

Using a Concept Chart to Build Your Search (video)