The research you are doing right now stands on centuries of modern scientific journals and books, and sometimes, it can be challenging to figure out what to prioritize in the introduction of your article, paper, or proposal — not to mention to find everything you need to cite. This is a 60-minute workshop for anyone in any STEM field facing these challenges.

We will discuss:

- How thorough you need to be (and the types of background research reviews to consider)

- How to locate important preexisting review papers

- Advanced search techniques in databases that will bring your work to the next level

Learning objectives:

Participants will identify how background research overviews fit into the broader category of review writing in the sciences.

Participants will use library resources to locate preexisting review papers in an area.

Participants will use advanced search techniques to construct a search, and they will save their results, in physics, astronomy, and general science databases.

Bonus: Attend the Graduate Writing Lab's Prospectus Writing workshop on March 5th to learn how to put it all together into your prospectus!

Any student who participates in at least 3 library workshops during the semester will be eligible for a prize. Learn more about the Workshop Incentive Program.