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A Safe Space for LGBTQ+: Research

As a part of the Safe Space initiative, the resources and information within this guide is for the commitment to diversity, respect, and support of all students.

Research

Researching LGBTQ+

Finding research-based information is an act of discovery. Using focused search strategies in the better sources of research information will yield strong results.

On this page, you will find the best methods for identifying your keywords and subject terms. Additionally, information on the research databases will be explained.

Keywords, Search Terms, and Subjects

LGBTQ+ means Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, and Questioning. The + sign refers to other terms that may be used, but not readily stated.

LGBTQ+ studies can be found in all fields of scholarship: Social Sciences, History, Literature, the Arts, the Sciences, etc. Research may also be cross-disciplinary. How you locate research information will depend largely on what field of scholarship you are interested in.

  • You can learn about the research process by exploring the Research Tutorial
  • Once you have a strong idea of what direction your research will take you, select the appropriate databases from the Research Databases

It is to your benefit to explore each research database and teach yourself how to use the database to its fullest potential. Every database has a help screen which will show you how to utilize all functions of the database.