I absolutely love this! Your list has a lot of stuff I already wanted to research myself as well as topics I never considered but now want to dive into.
How do you go about sourcing material ( books, articles, other media etc) once you have selected a topic ?
I feel I sometimes get stuck at this stage once I’ve selected a topic and struggle how to find resources that are accessible and engaging.
that is so fair, it can be a struggle especially for slightly more niche topics. i usually start pretty general, just google searching and writing down facts. from there i pinpoint the ones i feel like need more information or explanation. it takes a lot of searching deep through the pages of google. I also often go to the general research pages (like wikipedia, for example), read them and then and scroll to the bottom to find the sources so i can dig deeper myself! and then even just looking up "books about _____". i find actual books (even book pdfs or epubs) have a lot more information and its usually laid out in a more accessible and easy to understand way.
you can also use university library websites to find scholarly articles, journals and studies! though not every topic on my list will have them of course (like myths or cults are a bit harder to find that stuff haha). many university libraries are also open to the public for reading material in house (you can't take them home with you, but can have a research day in person!) also local libraries—the librarians there can help you find so many hidden gems on topics if you go in and ask or search around!
also, if you are interested in local history or folklore for your area, look for museums and historical groups! they have so much great information and booklets. i know here in nova scotia, we have a ton of local museums and even a ghost walking tour through the town all about local ghost stories and legends!
I absolutely love this! Your list has a lot of stuff I already wanted to research myself as well as topics I never considered but now want to dive into.
How do you go about sourcing material ( books, articles, other media etc) once you have selected a topic ?
I feel I sometimes get stuck at this stage once I’ve selected a topic and struggle how to find resources that are accessible and engaging.
that is so fair, it can be a struggle especially for slightly more niche topics. i usually start pretty general, just google searching and writing down facts. from there i pinpoint the ones i feel like need more information or explanation. it takes a lot of searching deep through the pages of google. I also often go to the general research pages (like wikipedia, for example), read them and then and scroll to the bottom to find the sources so i can dig deeper myself! and then even just looking up "books about _____". i find actual books (even book pdfs or epubs) have a lot more information and its usually laid out in a more accessible and easy to understand way.
you can also use university library websites to find scholarly articles, journals and studies! though not every topic on my list will have them of course (like myths or cults are a bit harder to find that stuff haha). many university libraries are also open to the public for reading material in house (you can't take them home with you, but can have a research day in person!) also local libraries—the librarians there can help you find so many hidden gems on topics if you go in and ask or search around!
also, if you are interested in local history or folklore for your area, look for museums and historical groups! they have so much great information and booklets. i know here in nova scotia, we have a ton of local museums and even a ghost walking tour through the town all about local ghost stories and legends!
Thanks for this! I’m gonna go research the Mariana Trench as I’m fascinated by the deep sea
yay i’m glad something sparked interest 🤍