## 1.2 Exploratory search phase

By creating a mind map, you have gained a better understanding of the topic. You will now conduct a broad search for information to learn even more. What do experts say about your topic? What trends are applicable? What has been written about it in the literature? It may be helpful to formulate a preliminary main research question. Such a question will give more direction to your search process and can help you to make choices.

Use these exploratory searches to collect your search terms by writing down the terms you have encountered in the various sources.

Tip:

- The topics you have put into your mind map can also be used as search terms!

The following sources may be useful during your orientation phase:

The internet
Of course you are familiar with Google. However, there are other search engines you can use: such as Bing, Ecosia and DuckDuckGo. There are differences between search engines in terms of results and how your privacy is handled.
Wikipedia
Wikipedia often provides reliable information, but anyone can post or edit articles. Always check the information you find and use this source primarily for orientation. The list of sources for an article can also aid you further.
Subject specialist/lecturer/internship supervisor
Seek advice from people in your future field, such as your lecturer. Ask for names of leading professionals or titles of professional literature and then do your own research.
Professional literature
These are leading publications ain a particular field, such as manuals and trade journals. You can find these in the librarycatalogue. Are there important publications missing? Send us a purchase suggestion.
Magazines and newspapers ​
Newspapers and magazines provide insight into current topics and trends.

- PressReader provides access to hundreds of newspapers and magazines from different countries.
- Systematic reviews analyse and summarise relevant literature on a topic. In Science Direct you can, filter for 'review articles'.
- Check Information Sources per Study Programme to see which online journals are available for your study programme.
- Visit the library to leaf through trade journals that are relevant to your studies.

During the exploratory search phase, you will get a clearer picture of your topic and what information about it is available. You may have discovered that there is either too much or too little information available. The next part of the training will give you tips on how to further narrow down your topic.