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When you begin exploring a new research topic, the internet is often a helpful starting point. While online sources are not usually considered scholarly, they can help you get oriented, discover current conversations, and identify ideas worth exploring further.
Blogs, news sites, newsletters, and alert services can be especially useful for:
Begin with a broad search using keywords related to your topic. You might try terms such as:
This kind of exploratory searching can help you see what questions are being asked, what language is commonly used, and which perspectives are shaping the conversation.
Not everything you find online is appropriate to use as evidence in academic research. Learning to evaluate sources is a skill that takes practice.
As you explore, take time to think critically about:
If you'd like support, the library is here to help. For step-by-step guidance, you can:
Blogs can be a valuable way to explore trending issues, current events, emerging research, and ongoing debates in a subject area. While blogs are not usually considered scholarly sources, they can be especially helpful when you are starting a project or trying to understand what people in the field are talking about right now.
Blog authors come from many different backgrounds, including:
Reading blogs written by experts or reputable organizations can help you:
These insights can guide you toward stronger search terms and more focused research questions.
Many popular and news magazines also publish blogs alongside their articles. These blog posts often offer timely commentary and accessible explanations of complex ideas.
For example, Psychology Today hosts a large collection of blogs and clearly lists each blogger's credentials. This makes it easier for you to understand the author's background, perspective, and expertise.
Part of the research process is learning how to evaluate sources thoughtfully. Blogs are most useful when you use them to:
If you're unsure whether a blog is appropriate for your assignment, that's completely normal — and the library can help you decide.
You can also search for blogs using Nexis Uni:
This allows you to quickly find blog content related to your topic from a wide range of sources.
Another great resource for searching blogs is Nexis Uni. On the home page, select News and conduct a search using your keyword or phrase. On the search results screen, you may filter Publication Type to Blog, as shown below:
Research news websites can be a helpful way to learn about the latest developments across many fields. These sites are especially useful for staying current, discovering potentially interesting topics, and getting a sense of where research in a particular discipline is headed.
Searching for terms like research news can help you find headlines about recently published studies and emerging areas of inquiry — a great way to build background knowledge and identify ideas to explore further.
Research news articles are not typically sources you will cite in academic work, but they can be very useful for:
As with all online information, it's important to think critically about what you're reading and to follow up with scholarly sources when needed. If you're unsure how to move from a news headline to academic research, the library is here to help — and asking questions is always part of the research process.
Visit the Ask Us page or use the chat in the lower-right corner.
Popular news sources and magazines can be useful for learning about current trends, emerging research, and timely issues across many fields. These sources often report on research in ways that are accessible to a general audience and can help you understand why a topic matters right now.
News outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, and The Chronicle of Higher Education regularly cover new studies, policy developments, and research-related topics of broad interest.
While news articles themselves are not usually sources you will cite in academic work, they can point you to the original research behind the story. To learn more, try:
Once you have this information, you can:
Learning when and how to use popular sources is an important part of the research process. Review the Academic and Popular Sources page to better understand how to use these resources in your academic research.
Controversial topics and debates are useful for learning about different perspectives on the same issue. For a general internet search, try the keyword phrase policy debate to find trending topics in the news or from policy institutes.
ProCon.org presents articles on current debates in the news and society. This site is directed toward students and educators.
News feeds or alerts are another extremely useful tool to locate recently published research in a subject area. Subscribing to news feeds helps you stay up-to-date on the research that is being done in a specific field. Many websites offer ways to subscribe to their feeds. Tools like Feedly allow you to keep websites and news sources all in one place. A simple way to organize and streamline information is to use an RSS feed reader. This quick tutorial video explains how to choose an RSS feed reader and subscribe to a number of RSS feeds.
There are also many websites that offer news and journal table of contents alert services. One example is Google Alerts for news and other web content. Another site, Journal TOCs, a free service that collects and makes available Table of Contents for the top academic journals in a wide range of disciplines. On their website you can browse or search for research areas.
It is important to keep in mind that with so many resources out there, you could quickly become overwhelmed with information being delivered daily. It is probably best to skim blogs and newsgroups until you settle on a specific idea, and then limit yourself to one or two key groups, newsfeeds, etc.
Open Access Resources can be invaluable for exploring your topic. These resources are freely available 'open access’ documents from professional and trade associations, government agencies, non-profit organizations, research institutes, universities and other entities. These resources are not proprietary, meaning they do not require login or subscription (although occasionally for-profit associations may request that you create a free account to access their publications). They are good places to explore for statistics, reports, conference abstracts and proceedings, white papers, association newsletters, industry news and more.
NU Library maintains a collection of curated links organized by NU disciplines and specializations, as well as related academic topics. Visit the Open Access Resources Guide for recommended sites.
Wikipedia or other online wiki sources are helpful for finding background information on a topic and getting ideas for keywords and phrases, but they should never be used as a cited reference in academic research. These sites can be useful for learning the basics of a topic that you are not familiar with. If the website entries provide references, these can be sources of scholarly information to explore further.
Here is an example of an article with extensive references from academic books and journals on the topic of Mirror Symmetry. This article is also designated as a Feature Article by Wikipedia because meets specific criteria such as supporting claims with citations.
