Data Librarian
Get started with research
You need to find background information within pre-existing sources to support your work. SAGE Research Methods Online and SAGE Campus are both great places to learn more about how to get started with a research, how to conduct a literature review, and how to publish.
- SAGE Research Methods Online This link opens in a new windowSAGE Research Methods is a methods library with more than 1000 books, reference works, journal articles, and instructional videos by world-leading academics from across the social sciences, including the largest collection of qualitative methods books available online from any scholarly publisher.
- Sage Campus This link opens in a new windowMust register for an account.
SAGE Campus supports the teaching and learning of skills and research methods through 250+ hours of structured online learning. The online courses are self-paced and instructor-led, comprising an engaging mix of SAGE-quality content, video, interactives, and formative assessments.
Sources of Evidence and Their Uses
I love how this table about evidence and their uses (found in Andrew Pennock's The CQ Press Writing Guide for Public Policy, 2019, p. 27, Table 2.1) orients you to the different kinds of background documents and how you might find them. You might only need to focus on academic documents (journal articles, books, etc.) but some of you might also want to explore the three other main types of background documents.
| Find Academic Docs | Find Gov Docs |
| Find Interest Group Docs | Find News |
| Academia | Government | Interest Groups | Popular Media | |
| Documents |
* Helpful for understanding the broad outlines of a problem but unlikely to address your problem directly. * Can provide helpful evidence about the effectives of proposed alternatives. * Seek out peer-reviewed... journals. |
* Often provide good interviews and histories of a problem. * May have produced reports on specific problems analogous to yours. * Agencies produce documents reflecting their viewpoints, so look for differences. * Can tip you to important data sources. |
* Can quickly help you understand industry or sector viewpoints. * Provide information in testimony, issue briefs, or regulatory comments, op-eds, and other documents. |
* Articles can give the broad outlines of an issue and understand what educated readers likely know about the problem. |
| People |
* Can be a good sources of systematic knowledge and broad perspective on a problem. * Seek academics working in [related fields]. |
* Gatekeepers of government information you need. * Can be great background on an issues if you have a relationship. If not, come prepared with questions to make good use of their time. |
* Consult for specific statistics, as they can have data and information not found elsewhere. * Can provide perspectives on a political conflict. * Helpful for understanding technical aspects[...] |
* Helpful for background information. * Good source of contacts to interview in other domains. * May tip you off to political landmines about which you don't know. |
To Do
- Look at one database that you think looks interesting and run a test search.
- Check out Browzine's Nursing Bookshelf.