Find the "Language of Experts"
Figure out the keywords to use for your topic!
Go to Advanced Search
Type in 2-3 keywords (1 per box)
Under "Filters" be sure to click "Full Text" "Peer Reviewed" and "Past 10 years."
Under "Search Options" click on "Find all my search terms" and then click each of the options under "Expanders." Ebsco will then expand your search to include keywords related to your search terms.
Once you've completed your search...
At the top of the Results page you'll see an option for Filters. Click on on it and then halfway down you'll find "Subject: Thesaurus Term."
Create a "bank" of search terms using the subject headings within the thesaurus. These might include synonyms, other subtopics, subject-specific jargon, and more specific groups of people to focus on.
In addition to my initial search terms, I might want to look at: "plastic marine debris" "plastic scrap" "environmental health," "gut microbiome" "endocrine disrupters" "public health," "nanoparticles" and "polystyrene."
🔍Identify Your Lens
Now use Google Scholar to figure out which lens your group will use.
Use your keywords you identified in EBSCO to search. You may want to divvy these up among your group.
Skim your results to see which journals are writing about your topic. In Scholar, journal titles will be listed after the author(s) underneath the article title.
Based on the journals, do you see a trend in the field(s) that are writing about your topic? Which lens aligns?
If you can't tell from the journal title what topics they cover, make sure to Google them! You may want to also Google the author(s).
🎨Artistic & Philosophical 💭
Cultural & Social🏛
📃Political & Historical
🤔Ethical
Environmental🌎
🤖Futuristic
🔬Scientific
Economic💵
Day 2: Limit by Journal in JSTOR
Today, try limiting by journal type or "subject" in JSTOR. By the end of class, you should aim to have one academic journal article that addresses your topic and lens. You can use any of the academic databases (EBSCO, Google Scholar or JSTOR) to find this article.
In JSTOR, take a look at the different "Subjects" that are listed on the left hand side of your search. Check off the subjects that are relevant to your lens. You should check off all relevant subjects. As an example, for the scientific lens: Aquatic Sciences, Biological Sciences, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Environmental Science, General Science, Health Sciences, and Sustainability would all work.
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