PHIL 450: Senior Directed Study

9/7/2022 2:00PM

AGENDA

1. Share your questions via post-it notes
2. Think and write
3. Research tips
4. Finding books and articles on your topic
5. Think and write

Take a moment to reflect on your topic. Write a sentence or two in response to the following questions:

• Why did you choose this topic?
• How familiar are you with your topic?
• What kind of source would help you learn more about your topic?

Macro Research Tips:

"Iterate" - "perform or utter repeatedly." Modify and repeat searches until you find what you want. Determine optimal search settings.

"Terminology" - Determine if there is specialized terminology or vocabulary for your topic. What's the "insider language"? Consider potential variations on the terms you use to search; think about synonyms.

"Like begets like" OR "One good source leads to another"- "Mine" citations: a work on your topic may cite other works on your topic.

Micro Research Tips a.k.a search mechanics: 

Group search strings with quotation marks. It's possible to use multiple groups. 

•  "Two words" "Three word concept" "FirstName LastName"

Use filters and linkages to narrow or focus results

• Date ranges, indexed subjects

Search inside an electronic source

• Use "Control+F" or "Command+F" or a "search within source" function