Before we read the relevant reading sources for our research proposal, we absolutely need to locate some relevant reading sources. Even though looking for related literature sounds easy, we still need to pay attention to some details or steps. There are various ways to find relevant readings to support our argument in composing the research proposal.
First of all, we can visit the university library or city library and ask the librarian for help in finding the necessary reading sources for us. Usually, librarians are quite familiar with materials from different fields, and they can definitely help to locate those materials. Moreover, they can also try to help us locate the materials in other libraries if they have access to them. Not to mention, librarians also commonly design research guides that identify reference works and online databases for specific fields. If the librarians are accustomed to conducting research, they can also help us formulate our research question and plan, develop search terms, and inventory our results to ensure we have not overlooked something of value. The second way is to consult reference works. Familiarize ourselves with some reference works such as a bibliography of works published each year in our field, a summary of bibliographies of works on a specific topic collected over several years (bibliographic index), annual literature reviews of our topic, or specialized reference works such as an encyclopedia of a specific topic.
Another way is to explore online databases. This is the cost-effective way of locating reading sources, and is relatively easy to do. We can access online library databases to find some subscribed scientific journals or periodicals. We can choose one of the provided online databases, input related keywords to our topic, and the database will direct us to some scientific articles containing the keywords. Then, we can read the abstract carefully to help us decide whether the articles are relevant to our research topic or not. However, different libraries might subscribe to different online databases. Therefore, we should be careful in selecting accessible articles. Fourth, follow bibliographic trails. When we find a book or maybe a scientific article which we consider useful for our research, we can also skim the bibliography or references to help us find other possible relevant sources. This is important because one source will always lead us to another source.
Then, we can also try to search the Internet. Using online search engines such as Google might also help us in finding relevant reading sources. Yet, we need to maintain a healthy skepticism that not all information we find through online search engines is reliable and credible. Thus, we have to be extra cautious when we encounter some information online. Maybe, GoogleScholar can help you locate some open-access scientific articles with a high degree of credibility that you can use for your research. Please keep in mind to avoid using open-edited sources such as Wikipedia. Then, we can also look for someone who knows something about our topic. If we have a colleague, senior, or professor who is quite knowledgeable about our research topic, we can also consult them by asking the standard reference works on the topic.