CWP 112: Citizen Scientist (Farrell)

Reference sources, also called background sources or tertiary sources, are great resources for getting an overview of your research topic. Examples of reference sources include: encyclopedias, dictionaries, bibliographies, textbooks, manuals, handbooks, almanacs, and fact books. Listed below are some reference sources available through the library that you'll find helpful for gathering background information on your topic:

Generating searchable keywords for your research topic can be difficult. Follow these steps to break your research topic down into searchable terms.

1. Write down your research topic or question. Example: How can news reporting effect the public's understanding of climate change?
    
2. Break it down into its main concepts. A concise research question will only have 2-3 main concepts. Example: news reporting, the public, climate change.
    
3. Try to list at least 2 possible search terms for each main concept. These may be synonyms, broader terms, narrower terms, or scholarly terminology. Example: "journalism" or "communication" for news reporting; "Americans" or "American people" for the public; "global warming," "climate catastrophe," or "climate crisis" for climate change.
    
4. Start searching by connecting your main concepts and keywords using Boolean operators. 
   • Use OR to combine your main concept with its keywords. Example: (climate change OR global warming OR climate catastrophe OR climate crisis).
   • Use AND to tie your main concept/keyword strings together. Example: (news reporting OR journalism OR communication) AND (the public OR Americans OR American people) AND (climate change OR global warming OR climate catastrophe OR climate crisis).
   • When applicable, use NOT to further specify a main concept or keyword. Usually this operator isn't necessary. Example: (climate change OR global warming OR climate catastrophe OR climate crisis) NOT (politics OR political ideology).