Real people: a professor, a librarian.
Real place: a library.
“Prowl the stacks. (…) find the shelf with books on your topic, then scan the titles on that shelf and the ones above, below, and on either side, especially for books with new bindings published by university presses.” (Turabian 3.2.6)
https://ijil.uws.edu.pl/o-instytucie/pracownicy-ijil/192-sylwetki-pracownikow
Profile naukowców w Bazie Wiedzy UwS
“thesis repository” of a good university as a search query in a search engine or in an AI chat, e.g at Brown University, Warsaw University, etc.
Use Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT)
The bibliography section of an established academic publication relevant to your topic. “Journal articles usually begin with a review of previous research, all cited. (...) Look for recent PhD dissertations even marginally related to your topic. Almost every dissertation reviews research in its first or second chapter." (Turabian 3.2.7)