Research Guides: Hot Topics: Find Sources

Introduction

This page walks you through finding sources on your topic in a variety of formats:

1. Brainstorm Keywords

Now that you've picked your topic and done a little background research, it's time to brainstorm relevant keywords. Think of synonyms and words related to the main nouns in your topic. For example, if my topic is

ethics of genetic modification of humans

I might come up with some additional keywords I came across in my background reading:

ethics	genetic modification	humans
bioethics	genetic engineering	babies
regulation	gene editing	human embryos
	CRISPR	Chinese twins

2. Use Keywords to Search

Once you have your keywords, try combining them in different ways to search in different library resources.

Combine synonyms using OR and parentheses: (ethics OR bioethics OR regulation)
Combine the different ideas of your topic using AND: (ethics OR bioethics OR regulation) AND (genetic modification OR gene editing) AND (humans OR human embryos)
Use your combined terms in different library resources.

The Discovery search is a good place to start. The following box is the same as the one on the library homepage:

You might also try any of the following databases:

ProQuest Central This link opens in a new window
Core interdisciplinary database, contains full-text journal articles, newspaper articles, dissertations, and business and industry profiles.
Opposing Viewpoints: Gale In Context [GALE] This link opens in a new window
Contains contextual information and opinions on hundreds of today's hottest social issues. A rich resource for debaters- includes pro/con viewpoints, reference articles, interactive maps, infographics, and more.
Drawing on the acclaimed Greenhaven Press series, the solution features continuously updated viewpoints, topic overviews, full-text magazines, academic journals, news articles, primary source documents, statistics, images, videos, audio files and links to vetted websites organized into a user-friendly portal experience.
Global Issues: Gale In Context [GALE] This link opens in a new window
Ties together sources to present a rich analysis of issues - social, political, military, economic, environmental, science related, health related, cultural - and headlines in world hot spots. It provides information seekers with a framework to better understand 21st-century issues and events while highlighting global connections and the interdependence of all nations.
Supports global awareness and provides a global perspective while tying together a wealth of authoritative content, empowering learners to critically analyze and understand the most important issues of the modern world. Offers international viewpoints on a broad spectrum of global issues, topics, and current events. Featured are hundreds of continuously updated issue and country portals that bring together a variety of specially selected,relevant sources for analysis of these issues. Rich multimedia - including podcasts, video, and interactive graphs - enhance each portal.

3. Review Results

Once you've gotten your search results from your combination of keywords, scroll through them to see how relevant they are to your topic.

Tip! The most relevant results aren't always right at the top. Don't be afraid to scroll to the bottom or go to the next page of results.

My first search result is a book that I may not have time to read, or which is too broad in scope, but that doesn't mean there's not plenty of relevant news and journal articles further down!

Even all the way down at result #33, there's a promising looking and more recent article:

Didn't get many good search results? Jump down to step 5, Refine Keywords and Search Again.

4. Select Relevant Sources

As you scroll through your results, click into any that look like they might be relevant.

Tip! The title might not have all your keywords in it.

Tip! When using the main library search box, try limiting your results using the Limit To box. Books can give an overview of a topic. Articles will provide news, magazine and academic journal items. You can use the refinement options on the left of the results page to focus in on the types of materials you want. News and magazine articles might be a good place to start since they are less technical than academic journal articles.

The following is the database record for my result #33, "Are we ready for genome editing in human embryos for clinical purposes?"

When you click on the Details link, more information about the item is displayed.
The subjects are the main concepts the article is about. These can help you think of new keywords too, like "medical ethics."
The abstract is a summary of the article to help you decide if you want to read the whole thing.
Use the tools to help you save the source for later: email it to yourself, use cite to format the citation in MLA and other styles, or copy the permalink to come back to the record later.
If there is a highlighted Full Text PDF, you can click on this to go directly to the article.
If there is not a highlighted Full Text link, you can click on Find Full Text to find the full text of the article online or through Interlibrary Loan.

5. Refine Keywords and Search Again

Whether or not you found some good results in your first search, it can always be worth it to search again--by changing around your keywords or searching in a different database.

If you didn't get many results the first time, try broadening your search by using fewer or less specific keywords.
If you got too many results the first time, try narrowing your search by using more or more specific keywords.
Try using new keywords from relevant results you did find, like medical ethics or moratorium from the example article above.
Try searching in a different database. Our different databases have different sources in them, so you might find different or more relevant sources in a different database.
Ask a librarian if you're not happy with what you're finding. We're here to help!