3. Start Your Research

Once you've done some initial background reading, it's time to narrow down your topic to what you really want to focus on. Remember your assignment requirements and consider what you've read thus far.

Ask yourself:

What modern myth, urban legend, or viral story are you interested in learning about?
How did it spread and transform?
What was its origin?

Think how you can discuss the issue in your presentation and consider what points you might want to make.

Research Hints

When doing research, keep in mind:

How up-to-date is your information? Having outdated information could show holes in your argument.
Statistics can be great sources to use in speeches. Check out the library's guide on where to find statistics.
Don't rely on a single source for your presentation.

Keywords

Keywords for your search will primarily be different forms or variations of the name of the issue you chose. If you are searching a phrase, put quotation marks around the phrase.

For example:

"social media" and misinformation

Some other search terms for misinformation might include: disinformation, gossip, fake news, etc.

Also, you may find some ideas for keywords in the background information you have already researched.

Tip: Remember that when you are searching for a phrase, such as "digital storytelling," it is important to put quotation marks around the phrase. This tells the database to search that specific phrase in article. If you did not include the quotation marks, the search might return articles about just storytelling or just digital, but not "digital storytelling."

Keywords work best by trial-and-error. Never do only one search. Some keywords will work better than others, and some keywords may lead you to different articles than you found in your first search. Search the databases with the keywords you selected to find relevant articles. And remember to ask a librarian if you need assistance coming up with keywords or looking for sources.