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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

 

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

 

 

Page Owner: Peter Genzinger

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