The document provides guidance on finding sources for an issue analysis by having students identify their issue and research question, stakeholders, and initial keywords. It then instructs students to search library databases, news sites, and Google for a mix of 25-30 sources on the issue, including newspaper articles, op-eds, political cartoons, scholarly articles, blogs, and comments. Students are told to save sources to Evernote with tags for stasis and themes, along with citations and brief notes.

1. Finding Sources
for Your
Issue Analysis

2. Identify your issue and come up with a
basic research question.
“How is the public discussing the
replacement of the Affordable Care
Act (aka Obamacare)?”

3. Identify all the stakeholders in this issue.
• Legislators/politicians
• People who currently have
healthcare through the Affordable
Care Act
• Insurance companies
• Hospital and clinic administrators
• ???

4. Generate initial keywords and check them
with Google for others/better ones.

5. Begin searching: on the library database,
on news sites, on Google.

6. Look for a MIX of sources: newspaper
articles, op-ed pieces, political cartoons,
scholarly (peer-reviewed) journal articles,
blog posts, reader comments on articles
and blog posts.
You want a full sense of how people are
discussing the issue.
Aim for 25-30 sources.

7. Save your sources to Evernote: add TAGS
that indicate stasis, main themes.
Make sure to include the citation, and write
brief notes to yourself about the source.