Methods in Global Studies

Video Tutorials

Advanced Search Techniques

Below, you'll find a number of resources that will help you with conducting research for your literature review.

• The research process is broken out below into 6 steps below, with examples of search strategies written out for you.
• You can use these search strategies to navigate through multiple databases for scholarly, peer-reviewed articles.
• There is a video demonstration below using the ProQuest database.

Step 1: Think about your research question and specific search terms

• Developing a research question (video 5:07)
• see also Booth, Wayne C. et al. The Craft of Research. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
  • 2016 ed. (most recent) available on 7th fl at Q180.55.M4 B66 2016 (check for availability)
  • 2008 ed. Online ebook edition
  • see chapter 3: From Topics to Questions, and chapter 4: From Questions to a Problem

Example research question: What is the effect of property rights for women on poverty rates in southern Africa?

Concept map for search strategy

Step 2: Select out an appropriate database and try some preliminary searches

Go to the Library Subject Guides page and select an appropriate Subject to guide your initial search

• Start with Global Studies; ProQuest, EBSCO, and Web of Science are 3 premier dbs to consult
• Start with some simple searches using keywords as above; look at special subject terms the authors use, found in the abstract
• Avoid typing in questions; this will result in 0 hits in specialized databases
• Limit results to only: peer-reviewed, articles

Step 3: Use Boolean operators AND/OR (NOT) to broaden or narrow your search

(women OR Female) AND ("Property rights" OR "Land ownership") AND (Botswana OR Malawi)

• " " searches for exact phrases
• * at the end of a word retrieves variations of the search term; farm = farms, farmer, farming
• ? - Wildcard, retrieves single variant spellings: wom?n = woman, women
• Getting great results: narrowing your search (video 3:02)

Step 4: Look for existing literature reviews on your topic

• Find a few decent articles and consult the "Literature Review" section
• Try a search with terms such as "review of the literature" OR "literature review" OR "review essay" OR "critical review" OR review
• Broaden the scope of your search to include books; they often have good review chapters

Step 5: Finding "classic" or landmark studies

• Follow the citation trail in articles you find useful; what author(s) are referred to heavily?
• Consult the Web of Science database to find highly cited articles by using the Times Cited feature; these will all be from peer-reviewed, scholarly sources
• Consult a scholarly Companion, Handbook, or Manual for your topic, e.g. The Companion to Development Studies, Routledge, 2014.
• Use Google Scholar, Cited by feature

Step 6: Format your citations for the bibliography in APA style

• Many specialized databases allow you to download in multiple citation styles, esp. ProQuest and EBSCO
• You can easily copy/paste the citation in APA format in ProQuest using the "Cite function at the top right side of the results page
• For further tips on citing on APA style, see:
• Video tutorial, How to cite in APA style
• Purdue University's Online Writing Lab guide to APA style

Video