Researching

R1-c: Mapping out a search strategy

R1-cMap out a search strategy.

A search strategy is a systematic plan for tracking down sources. To create a search strategy appropriate for your research question, it may help to consult a reference librarian and take a look at your library’s Web site, which will give you an overview of available resources.

No single search strategy works for every topic. For some topics, it may be useful to search for information in newspapers, magazines, and Web sites. For others, the best sources might be found in scholarly journals and books and specialized reference works. Still other topics might be enhanced by field research—interviews, surveys, or observation.

With the help of a reference librarian, each of the students whose research essays appear in this handbook constructed a search strategy appropriate for his or her research question.

sophie harba Sophie Harba’s topic, the role of government in legislating food choices, is the subject of lively debates in scholarly articles and in publications aimed at the general public. To find information on her topic, Harba decided to

search the Web to locate current news, government publications, and information from organizations that focus on issues surrounding government regulation of food
check a library database for current peer-reviewed research articles
use the library catalog to search for a recently published book mentioned in a blog and on several well-respected Web sites

luisa mirano Luisa Mirano’s topic, the limitations of medications for childhood obesity, is the subject of psychological studies as well as articles in newspapers and magazines aimed at the general public. Thinking that both scholarly and popular works would be appropriate, Mirano decided to

search the Web to see what issues about childhood obesity might be interesting
refine her search to focus on medications reported in newspaper and magazine articles, advocacy Web sites, and government sites
search specialized databases related to psychology and medicine for recent scholarly and scientific articles
track down an article that several of her sources cited as an influential study

ned bishop Ned Bishop’s topic, Nathan Bedford Forrest’s role in the Fort Pillow massacre, has been investigated and debated by professional historians. Given the nature of his historical topic, Bishop decided to

locate books through the library’s online catalog
locate scholarly articles by searching a database specializing in history sources
locate newspaper articles from 1864 by searching a historical newspaper database
use the Web to track down additional primary documents mentioned in his sources

using sources responsibly: Use your research log to record information for every source you read or view, especially page numbers and URLs. If you gather complete publication information from the start of your project, you’ll easily find it when you need to document your sources.