ENG 382/WS 381: Gender, Sexuality, and Literature: Search Strategies

Research is an iterative + creative process. A good research strategy incorporates multiple sources and lots of different search terms. Spend some time exploring your topic before honing in on the perfect research question. 

➡️️ Start with a preliminary research question and identify the key terms. 

➡️️ Before beginning your search, brainstorm additional terms related to your key terms. 

• Include synonyms, broader terms, and narrower terms

➡️️ As you explore potential sources, add any new keywords you come across to your list. 

• Most research databases identify subject terms and other key terms in item records

➡️️ Do your search again (multiple times!) with different combinations of key terms.

➡️️ Try searching for the same combinations of key terms in a different database. 

➡️️ Use the bibliography or works cited page of a useful article to identify more relevant sources.

• Copy + paste the citation into OneSearch Manoa to check if an article is available at the library. 

➡️️ Refine your research question based on your sources. 

• Searches using certain keywords or in specific databases frame your question in different ways. Note how your sources cluster together and use this information to focus in on the most interesting aspect of your topic.  

Once you have identified keywords, be strategic in how you implement them.

• Seek out the advanced search option in the database and give each keyword its own search box.
• Use boolean operators to specify the relationship between terms in your search.