Begin with a general idea of your topic then look for information to help you focus on specific concepts, generate keywords for your searches, and narrow down the topic. In this part of the process you're browsing and doing a little reading to get familiar with the topic and generate ideas.

• Start with a basic source like Wikipedia to get definitions and background info.
• Popular sources such as newspapers or magazines provide general information on current issues. 
• Books are also helpful for background reading, even scanning the table of contents can help you learn about your topic. 

Once you are familiar with your topic and you're ready to start searching for resources it's time to identify the keywords you'll use to find your sources.

Research question: Is there value in a liberal arts degree?

Find synonyms for your main concepts:
Liberal Arts = humanities, arts, social sciences, general education
Degree = education, major, undergraduate, graduate

Find specific words that relate to qualifying concepts:
Value = knowledge, skills, characteristics, employers, businesses, salaries, debt, loans, jobs, income