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CHIN 101 and 201 with Flora Chuang: General Research Tips

General Search Tips

Generating search terms for your topic:

Think about different ways of describing your topic, and do multiple searches for these different terms:

1. Are there different spellings for the festival/holiday you are researching? (some have several)

2. Are there different names for the festival/holiday you are researching? (some of have several)

Consider specificity:

Sometimes it is hard to find a resource that is ONLY about your specific topic (specific holiday), so in those instances, maybe take a step backwards, with regard to specificity:

1. Look for resources on festivals/holidays, in general

2. Look for resources on Chinese/Asian holidays/festivals, in general

3. Look for resources on Chinese/Asian culture, in general

4. Look for resources on Chinese/Asian society or rituals or religion or traditions, in general

5. Be sure to look at the table of contents or the index in these sources, to see if any terms related to your topic are included in the source.

Do multiple searches!

1. Research is a process! (it involves multiple steps and is iterative in nature)

2. Do multiple searches, trying different search terms and combinations

3. Don't just look at the search page of results, or try only one search. Keep at it!