Try using the What-Where-How approach to developing a search strategy, by identifying what specific information you need, where you might find that type of information, and how to search for it.
For example, if your topic has to do with religious freedom and workplace accommodations for daily prayer for Muslims in the United States, you might develop the following strategies for finding different kinds of information related to this topic.
WHAT
The specific information you need.
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WHERE
The type(s) of source(s) that might include that information (books, articles, websites, etc.) and the search tools (OneSearch, databases, Google, etc.) that will help you find those sources.
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HOW
The search terms and search techniques you will use to search.
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Background information about workers' rights and religious freedom in the workplace
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Type of source: encyclopedia
Search tool: reference database
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Keywords: religious freedom; freedom of religion; workplace; work; workers; employees; law; rights
Techniques: experiment with different keywords
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Daily religious practices of Muslims
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Type of source: book
Search tool: library catalog (OneSearch)
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Keywords: Islam; Salah
Techniques: Identify and search by subject heading (Religion Islam theology)
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Number and percentage of American workers who are Muslim
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Type of source: United States Census or other government website
Search tool: Google
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Keywords: Muslim workers; Muslim employees; United States; statistics; census
Techniques: Use site:.gov to limit the search to government websites
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Public opinion about workplace accommodations for daily prayer for Muslim workers
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Type of source: news articles and broadcasts
Search tool: library news database or Google
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Keywords: Muslim workers; Muslim employees; workplace; religious practice; prayer; accommodation; public opinion; public reaction
Techniques: experiment with different keywords
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Scholarly information and arguments about workers' rights and religious freedom in the workplace
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Type of source: scholarly book/chapter or peer-reviewed journal article
Search tool: library database or OneSearch
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Keywords: religious freedom; freedom of religion; workplace; work; workers; employees; law; rights
Techniques: Limit results to peer-reviewed sources; use religio* to find sources that have the word religious or the word religion in the same results list and work* to find work, workers, and workplace
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Images of protests advocating for workplace accommodations for daily prayer for Muslim workers
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Type of source: Photos or videos
Search tool: Google image search or video search
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Keywords: Muslim workers; Muslim employees; workplace; prayer; religious freedom; United States; protest; demonstration
Techniques: Limit results by size for images big enough to include in a presentation, by usage rights for images to be used publicly, and/or by date for recent images
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