When you start your research, you might find nothing or you might not know where to start!  That is normal. Here are some tips.

• Reading a Wikipedia page or encyclopedia entry on your scientific topic to build foundational knowledge. This helps you become familiar with terms, concepts and context.

• Brainstorm a list of search terms for each of your concepts.  Think of synonyms, broader or narrower terms and related terms.

  • film, cinema, cinematography, video, movies, motion pictures, etc.

  • rising sea levels, coastal inundation, erosion, sinking islands, climate migration, etc.

• Be prepared to search in several places, not just one database.  Be persistent and use a variety of search term combinations.

• If you don't find anything searching on the film name, Early Human Fetal Activity (1952) for example, you might need to break down the film into related concepts.

  • Example searches: (embryology AND film), (embryology AND cinematography), ("fetal development" AND documentaries)

  • Use the results to infer the issues related to the film and form ideas for how you talk about the film in context.