Rethlefsen, M. L., Murad, M. H., & Livingston, E. H. (2014). Engaging medical librarians to improve the quality of review articles. Jama, 312(10), 999-1000.
Familiarize yourself with the jargon and narrow down your topic
Encylopedias, Dictionaries and Handbooks are a great way to familiarize yourself with a topic and can provide you with background information. Also refer to your course readings, including textbooks or items on reserve, that relate to your area of study.
Finding information
Read the sources you found in your preliminary search of the literature to determine
Brainstorm Synonyms and Keywords
Create a concept map or brainstorm what you already know about a topic. This can help you to identify areas you may want to explore further.
Here are some questions to think about (or ask yourself) when trying to figure out the scope of your research inquiry:
Special thanks to Bucknell University, Bertrand Library Research Services for creating and sharing this poster under a Creative Commons License.