research skills workshop

advanced strategies for
activist researchers

strategy & nonviolent struggle

soan 071B / pols 081 / peac 071B

goals for this session:

• learn about useful research resources (besides Google) that you may not be familiar with
  
  
• understand some techniques for searching these resources more efficiently and effectively
  
  
• learn how to get more out of Google
  
  
• know where to turn if you get stuck with your research
  

what kinds of research tools are available?

Tripod (paper books, online books, journal articles)

Newspaper databases (library subscribes)

Journal article databases (scholarly sources)

Google (news articles, Facebook, blog posts, press releases)

also: talking to activists, using an organization's archives, searching Google Books, the Worldcat database, or Amazon to identify relevant books not owned by the TriCo Libraries...

find links and descriptions for these resources on the course research guide

Step 1: Come up with a list of many possibly relevant keywords.

What words might a participant use? A sympathetic journalist? A scholar? 

What about a less sympathetic journalist?  A company spokesperson?  An opponent? 

Are there culturally-specific or movement-specific terms that would be used by the activists you're researching?

Avoid common pitfalls:

- Make sure you're using the correct geographic terms

Case 1945-46 in which Pare women in Tanzania protested against the British colonial tax system...Tanzania was formed in 1964-65 from Tanganyika and Zanzibar.

- Try searching for varying spellings of names

Khadija al-Riadi
Khadija Ryadi
Khadija Riyadi

Step 2: Use Advanced Search to try out multiple search terms at once.

You'll likely use Google frequently to research cases, and there are many strategies for doing this effectively.

Let's review some advanced Google strategies.

What to do if you get stuck:

- Try a different database or search tool.

- Broaden the scope of your search.

- Don't neglect print sources and tools.

- Ask a librarian to work with you.

Sarah's office hours:
McCabe Research & Info Desk

M 3-5 PM  W 1-3 PM

To ask questions or schedule an appointment:

Sarah Elichko

selichk1@swarthmore.edu