Methods in Global Studies
Course Number: GS202
Subject: Global Studies
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 are a series of video tutorials embedded into the sections below detailing certain parts of the research process.
Step 1: Turn your topic into a research question
- 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
- Research questions: are questions you can answer, are doable/feasible, help to focus research, guide a researcher into relevant literature
- You want to move from broad topic β focused topic β question β focused question
- E.g.: Poverty β gendered dimensions of poverty β does gender increase poverty? β What is the relationship between propety rights for women and poverty rates in Southern Africa?
Example research question: What is the relationship between propety rights for women and poverty rates in Southern Africa?
Step 2: Use your research question to develop keywords and search strategy
Concept matrix for search strategy:
Concept 1 | Concept 2 | Concept 3 | Concept 4 |
---|---|---|---|
Property rights | Women | Poverty | Botswana |
Land ownership | Female | Poor | Malawi |
Property ownership | Gender | Income poverty | Mozambique |
Land rights | Economic development | Zimbabwe | |
Development | Africa (?) |
Step 3: Chose what database(s) you'll search in
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 or in the Subject Headings listed
- Avoid typing in questions; this will result in 0 hits in specialized databases
- Limit results to only: peer-reviewed, articles
Step 4: Create and record "search strings"
- Use Boolean operators AND/OR (NOT) to broaden or narrow your search, e.g.:
(women OR Female) AND ("Property rights" OR "Land ownership") AND (Botswana OR Malawi)
- You want to "record" them somewhere to copy/paste into multiple databases
- This also helps you keep a record of what you've searched, and where
Advanced database search techniques
- " " 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 5: Run your search and download results
- If you use Zotero, or another reference management tool to manage your references, you should download them into .ris format
Step 6: Manage your downloaded results
- You can best manage your results using a reference manager like Zotero
- Watch the short video in the section below to learn 4 different ways to manage information
- It was created for Geography graduate students but it is applicable to all disciplines
- Zotero is discussed specifically at the 2:41 and 3:50 min. points
Video: Managing your information
Other topics covered in previous classes
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
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
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
Additional Related Video Tutorials
Video 1: What is scholarship?
Video 2: Finding and identifying academic articles
Video 3: The academic information ecosystem
Video 4: How to cite in APA style
Video 5: Getting citations
Video 6: Credibility of sources