Perhaps you have heard the phrase "divide and conquer" before? How does dividing and conquering apply to the research process?

Basically, it's a strategy you can use when you are using multiple search terms to find information, and they aren't getting you any results.  

Let's say you have an interesting question about how Ken (from the Barbie movie) sometimes bears a resemblance to Shakespeare's character Macbeth. You want to find sources that discuss the 2 characters together. But when you search for the terms "barbie movie ken" and "macbeth", you get this:

This isn't what you were hoping for. But all is not lost! You can search for each of the terms individually (that's the DIVIDE part), and then CONQUER your research by combining what you've learned. YOU can be the person who brings these two topics into conversation with each other.

Writing Commons offers a good example of how the Divide and Conquer method can help when you hit a dead end in your search.