How Do I Find Information About My Topic?
(continued)

Particular knowledge to general knowledge

Sometimes it's difficult to find an overview. Your topic may be too narrow or too interdisciplinary. For example, it might be difficult to find an encyclopedia article or website that adequately discussed the "healing power of faith." In cases like this, you should find one or two articles that cover the topic exactly. Then scour the citations and articles for clues that will lead you to more citations and articles. This technique begins with one or two solid sources and builds on them.

This type of fact gathering is a bit more difficult. Begin by selecting the most appropriate database (discussed later in this chapter). Search it broadly (also discussed later), and then scan the retrieved title list (often quite large) for the best matches. Then, examine the citation(s) with a fine-toothed comb, looking for any clues that might lead you to other citations. If possible, retrieve the article and read it carefully, scouring the bibliography or footnotes, again looking for clues that will lead you to other sources.

This outlines this process using the "healing power of faith" topic.