English 1201 Research Guide

1. Look up your topic in two of the following sources. Choose a source you are familiar with and another source you are not familiar with. Remember to simplify your topic into a bite-sized keyword or phrase that gets to the heart of the issue you want to investigate.
   
   For example, if my topic is: “the show Cocomelon and what effect watching this show as an infant or toddler has on their development,” I might want to search for either Cocomelon or early childhood development.
    
2. After you find articles on your chosen topic in two of those sources, skim through the sources. You don’t have to read them all, but you can use “lateral reading” techniques.
    
3. In your articles, look for any mentions of additional sources of information on the topic. You might find these in a Reference List at the end (Wikipedia, Credo, Research Starter, Opposing Viewpoints, Global Issues in Context) or you might find a link or in-text citation to further information (newspaper article or Statista).
    
4. Try to track down important-looking additional sources linked in your original article.
    
5. Even if you can’t find the full text, compare and contrast the treatment of your topic in your original source (the background information) and the additional sources. Think about the author, the date, the intended audience, the source of publication (a book, a scholarly journal, etc.). Use the SIFT method to evaluate your sources: STOP, Investigate the source, Find better coverage, Trace claims, quotes, and media to the original context.
    
6. If you’re able to find the full text, you might also think about potential bias (the author’s and/or the publication’s and your own internal biases as a reader).  

Places to Search Your Topic

Please search for your topic in at least two of these links - one you are familiar with and one you are unfamiliar with.

• Wikipedia
• Credo Reference
• “Research Starter” in SHU Search - the main search box on library website
• A newspaper article, found one of the following places:
  • Library News Guide
  • Google news
  • Twitter or another social media site
  • The webpage of a major publication (example: Newsweek). Remember – you may encounter paywalls, so ask a librarian or your professor if you need help finding the full article)
• Statista background information and statistics (this is only available on SHU campus)
• Opposing Viewpoints
• Global Issues in Context

Let me demonstrate what this activity looks like in action. My topic is the show Cocomelon and I’m thinking about investigating what effect watching this show as an infant or toddler has on their development. I looked up Cocomelon in Wikipedia because Credo, a database our library subscribes to that allows us to search through hundreds of online encyclopedias, isn’t up to date enough to have an article on it.

In the reference list of the Wikipedia article, there is a link to this Bloomberg article, "The New King of Kids TV Gets 7 Billion Views a Month on YouTube" in the Reference List.

Let's investigate Bloomberg:

• What is Bloomberg? Link to Bloomberg "About" page.
• Is this a trusted source?
• Are there any sources in the Wikipedia article's Reference List that might be more or less trustworthy than Bloomberg?

The Bloomberg article links to this Pew Research report, "Parenting Children in the Age of Screens".

Let's investigate Pew Research Center:

• What is the Pew Research Center? Link to Pew Research Center "About page.
• Is this a trusted source?
• Is this more and less trustworthy than Bloomberg?

What is Lateral Reading?

According to Terry Heick on TeachThought.com, "In brief, lateral reading (as opposed to vertical reading) is the act of verifying what you’re reading as you’re reading it."

Adapted with permission from:

University of New Mexico University Libraries' English 120: Full Library Tutorial

What are Peer Reviewed, Scholarly Articles?