Where You Look Shapes What you See
Imagine you’re researching Taiwan’s sovereignty (the right to be a self-governing country or state).
- Would you expect a news source published in Mainland China and a Taiwan newspaper to cover the issue in exactly the same way? Why or why not?
- What might affect how each newspaper tells the story?
- Which voices might be emphasized more from different perspectives?
For an international relations issue, we deliberately look across countries and perspectives. This Course Guide is curated to help you do that.
Search strategies for exploring & choosing a topic
- Start Here: Gale In Context/Opposing Viewpoints
Why use it? Browse current and controversial issues and see which topics have enough information to investigate.
Try:
Topics → Technology → Topic Finder → Artificial Intelligence
Choose the wheel view rather than the tiles.
The wheel lets you quickly see which ideas connect to your topic and which areas have lots of information.
Don't worry about finding sources yet. Right now, you are looking for ideas.
2. Next, browse AllSides: AllSides' stated mission is to mitigate bias in news reporting by representing reports from "all sides" of an issue. Note that that focus is issues of national importance to the United States.
Why use it? See which issues are in the news and compare how the same story is covered from different perspectives on the political center, left, and right, on the United States political spectrum.
Try:
Click on Headline Roundups. What issues are appearing? What countries, governments, companies, or problems are of national interest in the US?
Click on Topics and browse. Scroll down to Technology.
What filters fall under this topic? Click on one of them, e.g., AI, Big Data
3. Next, browse the Newspapers & Current Events Listing
Why use it? To take a deep dive into an issue using one major source: When you are first beginning, you may find it easier to search inside each standalone major newspaper source one at a time. To do so, click on our Newspapers & Current Events Listing. As you progress in your search you will need to read widely in order to broaden your understandings from diverse perspectives.
Major news sources to try include, New York Times, Newsweek, Wall Street Journal, PressReader, etc.
4. Use the Unified Search Box on the US Library Homepage to search for multiple sources all at once.
Why use it? This is useful when you have started to gain confidence in your understanding of your issue and are looking for an interesting direction to focus your argument. Explore searching multiple library resources from one place is a good way to see how experts are looking at the issue you are interested in.
Try:
Enter a key search term using different combinations of search strings. What do I mean?
For example, if my issue is the impact of Wearable technology on privacy and global surveillance, some of my key search terms may include:
wearable technology • wearable devices • fitness trackers • privacy • personal data • surveillance
- Search strings you might explore using these key terms may include:
- wearable devices AND surveillance
- fitness trackers AND national security
- wearable technology AND personal data
Your search should change as you learn more about different perspectives around the issue.
Filter your searches by content type, e.g., newspapers, Online Full Next, Journal Articles, etc.
****Avoid using the filter
"Available in my Library"It often limits the search to materials that are owned cataloged or indexed by the US Library or EBSCO, or database vendor.
5. Getting help with sources:
Need to troubleshoot logging into a resource? Open this PDF file for a step-by-step login guide & tips.
Need help finding your sources or citing them? Make an appointment with the Librarian
6. Cite your Sources: Use this US Library Citation Guide to learn formatting rules. There are many other freely available resources on the internet - ask your teacher or librarian for guidance.
7. A NOTE ON AI USE: Your Teacher will guide you on AI use policies and introduce you to the tools you will need to use AI effectively, safely and ethically in IR. Once you obtain your teacher's permission, you may also talk to your Librarian to learn effective prompt engineering or agent design to suit your research needs.