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Dance 101: Introduction to Dance

Explorations and Innovations

The Research Process

What do you already know about your topic? Background research on the key points of your topic will help you refine your research question or thesis statement. Use this mind-mapping tool from the University of Arizona to brainstorm vocabulary associated with your topic. Notice what words are being used by experts and commentators to communicate about your topic. Refer to our library guide to keywords for more tips.

Check out the video below, "Joining the Scholarly Conversation." Developing as a researcher in your field of study requires first observing (listening, reading) the conversations happening about your topic. Once you are conversant in the "language of your discipline," you'll be more familiar with the words scholars and artists use to describe concepts in the discipline. So pay attention and write everything down!

 

 

  • What is the existing conversation about your topic? Are there books published that can give you historical background? Find books and ebooks in the CSUSM library.

 

  • Who are the people or organizations that are significant to your topic? Try a site search, where you set your search command to return results for a specific web domain. For example, say you want to see websites for groups or organizations pertinent to traditional South Asian dance forms. 

site:.org "south asian dance"

(Be sure not to put a space between the colon and the "dot" before org.) You can add any search terms after the domain command. If you are focusing on a topic geographically, you should add that information to your search, as well ("United States,” for example). You can replace “.org” with “.edu” if you’re looking for information emanating from an educational institution.

 

  • What are you reading about your topic in popular press like newspapers or other journalism? Newspapers and longform outlets like news magazines or TED talks provide researchers with profiles, reviews, and snapshots of the most current state of things to pass through the news cycle.

 

How are experts (scholars and other dedicated researchers) talking or writing about your issue? Scholarly articles, sometimes government or NGO reports, are considered authoritative sources for this phase of research.

I need to find a scholarly, peer-reviewed journal article. What is a good database to get started with?

How do I find databases by subject or title?

If I do a search for articles in a CSUSM library database and I find one I would like to read in full-text what would I need to do to see the entire article?

How do I know if a journal article is scholarly (peer-reviewed)?

How can I connect Google Scholar to the library’s resources if I’m off campus?

Does the library provide access to the New York Times?

How do I request a specific article if I can’t find it in the library databases? Can I do an Interlibrary Loan to get it?

How can I limit my search in a database to find articles from certain years?

 

Joining the Scholarly Conversation