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Political Science 302: Writing in Political Science

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Backward Citation Search

What is "Backward Citation Searching?"

The list of works cited by an author gives you a picture of the thinking and research up to the time the article was published. It takes you back in time, telling you what sources, and theories have influenced the author's work. This may also help you identify key authors in a field. Looking at the reference list of sources cited by an author is called "bibliographic mining," "cited reference searching," or "backward citation searching." 

 

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How Can I Do This?

As you read and article, note citations of interest as you read, and scan the article reference list for authors and articles that interest you. You may search for specific articles and authors using a database or try Research@UWW

View this video tutorial for a demonstration of both Forward and Backward Searching