source-discovery

name	source-discovery
description	Find and evaluate academic sources including databases, search strategies, and quality assessment. Use when researching topics, building bibliographies, or finding evidence.
metadata	{"author":"specialist-team","version":"1.0.0"}

Source Discovery

Your Task

When finding academic sources, systematically:

1. Define research needs and search scope
2. Search appropriate databases and repositories
3. Evaluate source credibility and relevance
4. Track sources for citation management
5. Identify gaps in coverage

---

Search Strategy

Step 1: Define Your Search

Research Question Components:

Topic: [Main subject]
Scope: [Boundaries - time, geography, population]
Perspective: [Theoretical framework, discipline]
Purpose: [Why you need this information]

Search Terms Worksheet:

| Concept | Synonyms | Related Terms | Broader | Narrower |
|---------|----------|---------------|---------|----------|
| [Main] | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| [Second] | ... | ... | ... | ... |

Step 2: Build Search Queries

Boolean Operators:

• AND - Narrows results (both terms required)
• OR - Expands results (either term matches)
• NOT - Excludes terms
• " " - Exact phrase matching
• * - Wildcard (truncation)

Example Query Building:

Topic: Machine learning in healthcare

Step 1: Key concepts
  machine learning, healthcare

Step 2: Add synonyms
  (machine learning OR artificial intelligence OR deep learning)
  AND
  (healthcare OR medical OR clinical)

Step 3: Add specificity
  (machine learning OR artificial intelligence)
  AND (healthcare OR medical)
  AND (diagnosis OR treatment)

Step 4: Add filters
  + Date: 2020-present
  + Document type: Journal article
  + Language: English

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Academic Databases

General Academic

Database	Coverage	Best For
Google Scholar	Broad, multidisciplinary	Initial exploration
Web of Science	High-quality journals	Citation tracking
Scopus	Science, tech, medicine	Comprehensive coverage
JSTOR	Humanities, social sciences	Historical articles
ProQuest	Dissertations, theses	Graduate research

Subject-Specific

Field	Databases
Computer Science	IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, arXiv
Medicine	PubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane
Psychology	PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES
Business	Business Source Complete, SSRN
Law	Westlaw, LexisNexis
Education	ERIC

Open Access

Resource	Type
arXiv	Preprints (STEM)
SSRN	Preprints (social sciences)
PubMed Central	Open access biomedical
DOAJ	Directory of open journals
Unpaywall	Browser extension for free versions

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Search Techniques

Citation Chaining

Backward Chaining (who did they cite?):

1. Find a highly relevant paper
2. Examine its reference list
3. Follow promising citations
4. Build toward foundational works

Forward Chaining (who cited them?):

1. Find a foundational paper
2. Use "Cited by" feature
3. Track how ideas developed
4. Find most recent applications

Pearl Growing

1. Start with one perfect source
2. Note its subject headings/keywords
3. Search using those exact terms
4. Repeat with new relevant sources

Berrypicking

Iteratively refine:

1. Start with initial query
2. Evaluate results
3. Adjust terms based on what you find
4. Repeat until satisfied

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Source Evaluation

CRAAP Test

Criterion	Questions to Ask
Currency	When published? Updated? Still relevant?
Relevance	Does it address your topic? Right audience? Right level?
Authority	Who wrote it? What credentials? Who published it?
Accuracy	Is it supported by evidence? Peer-reviewed? Can you verify?
Purpose	Why was it written? Bias? Objective?

Source Hierarchy

Tier	Source Types	Typical Use
1	Peer-reviewed journals, systematic reviews	Primary evidence
2	Academic books, conference proceedings	Major concepts
3	Professional publications, white papers	Context, practice
4	Government reports, reputable organizations	Data, policy
5	News, websites, blogs	Background only

Red Flags

⚠ Be cautious if:

• No author identified
• No publication date
• No citations or references
• Extreme claims without evidence
• Commercial intent (selling something)
• Known predatory publisher

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Tracking Sources

Citation Manager Setup

Organize as you find:

## Source Tracking Sheet

| Title | Authors | Year | Database | Relevance | Status |
|-------|---------|------|----------|-----------|--------|
| ... | ... | ... | ... | High/Med/Low | Read/Skim/Cite |

Annotation Template

For each important source:

## [Citation Key]

**Full Citation**: [Harvard format]

**Summary**: [2-3 sentences on main argument/findings]

**Key Quotes**:
- "Quote 1" (p. X)
- "Quote 2" (p. Y)

**Relevance**: [How it connects to your work]

**Limitations**: [Any caveats or biases]

**Related Sources**: [What it cites that you should read]

---

Search Documentation

Track your search process:

# Search Log: [Topic]

## Search 1
- **Date**: YYYY-MM-DD
- **Database**: [Name]
- **Query**: [Exact search string]
- **Filters**: [Date range, document type, etc.]
- **Results**: [Number found]
- **Relevant**: [Number kept]
- **Notes**: [Observations]

## Search 2
[Repeat...]

## Summary
- **Total sources found**: X
- **Sources kept**: Y
- **Key papers identified**: [List]
- **Gaps identified**: [What's missing]

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Gap Analysis

After searching, assess coverage:

## Research Coverage Assessment

### Well-Covered Areas
- [Topic A] - Multiple high-quality sources
- [Topic B] - Recent comprehensive reviews

### Partially Covered
- [Topic C] - Some sources, but dated
- [Topic D] - Limited perspectives

### Gaps
- [Topic E] - No sources found; may need:
  - Different search terms
  - Different databases
  - Related fields

### Action Items
- [ ] Try alternative search terms for [gap]
- [ ] Check [specific database] for [topic]
- [ ] Contact librarian about [specialty area]

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Special Search Scenarios

Finding Foundational Works

1. Check recent review articles' references
2. Look for "seminal" or "foundational" mentions
3. Find highest-cited papers on topic
4. Check textbook bibliographies

Finding Recent Developments

1. Set date filters to last 2-3 years
2. Check preprint servers (arXiv, SSRN)
3. Follow key researchers on Google Scholar
4. Check conference proceedings

Finding Grey Literature

For reports, theses, working papers:

• ProQuest Dissertations
• Government websites
• Organization repositories
• Think tank publications

Finding Data Sources

• Data.gov (government data)
• ICPSR (social science data)
• Kaggle (ML datasets)
• Zenodo (research data)

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Quick Reference

Need	Approach
Starting research	Google Scholar + citation chaining
Comprehensive search	Multiple databases + Boolean queries
Quality sources	Peer-reviewed filters + CRAAP test
Recent work	Date filters + preprints
Historical context	Backward citation chaining
Track sources	Citation manager + annotation
Find gaps	Coverage assessment

Database Quick Guide

Field	Start Here
General	Google Scholar → Web of Science
STEM	IEEE/ACM → arXiv
Medical	PubMed → Cochrane
Social Science	JSTOR → SSRN
Humanities	JSTOR → Project MUSE