Please reach out if you have any questions about your research. If you'd like to schedule a research appointment you can see my availability and schedule one here.
STEM Librarian: Alicia Ikerd
Email: aliciaikerd@depauw.edu
Search Suggestions
Most authors, researchers, doctors, etc. will dedicate their lives to their craft. Utilize author searching (especially Author Profiles on Google Scholar) to find more works by the author of a source you like
Utilize past references in a work
Utilize Google Scholar's "Cited by" feature on a source to look for more current sources on the same topic
Consider multiple names for your topic
Example: Artificial Intelligence can also be called Machine Learning or Knowledge Engineering
If working in a database, utilize your operators
Example: Sustainability AND ("Artificial Intelligence OR "Machine Learning" OR "Knowledge Engineering")
If you are looking for a starting point on a topic, consider dissertations and Annual Reviews. Annual Reviews will give summaries of a topic at an overview level. Dissertations are usually written by those attempting to receive their PhD in a topic. If they are writing a dissertation it operates as a book in terms of length and amount of information. However, they can be useful because usually a person writing a dissertation needs something new to say about the topic.
Just because an item is Open Access, does not mean it has integrity or is a legitimate source. Make sure you are investigating the author, their credentials/degrees, their methods, their affiliated organization, and the publisher.
Consider grey literature
Grey literature is literature that exists outside of the typical peer review publishing process. These items may get reviewed by editors, board of directors, etc. but they do not get reviewed by a panel of experts in their field for integrity. Grey literature often times lives outside typical databases and includes things like technical reports, statistics, patents, research reports, etc.
You get access to multiple newspapers free through your DePauw affiliation -- use them! Click the newspaper tab on this guide and it will take you to the step-by-step procedure to create your accounts.
