In the sections that follow, you will find information about what is unique about SoTL literature. Then, you will find suggestions for how to search for SoTL literature most effectively, including tips for using Google Scholar and subject databases, identifying keywords, researching grey literature on the open web, and staying current.

Education research often overlaps with the social sciences, psychology, and child development. Because no single database covers everything, a strong search strategy means looking in at least three different databases. 

This page highlights the best places to start.

Once you identify your topic and preliminary research question(s), your next step is to explore the literature related to your research question(s). A literature search will help you understand how your study fits into what is already known about this topic and help you refine your research questions. This worksheet will help you begin to systematically explore the literature.

You may have heard that generative artificial intelligence (AI) can sometimes “hallucinate” citations to scientific articles. In 2025, for example, a report from the presidential Make America Healthy Again Commission referred to made-up research papers, leading the White House to remove the report and later release a corrected version. Later that year, The Independent, a Canadian newspaper, revealed that a government-commissioned Deloitte health care report contained citations pulled from academic papers that did not exist and also credited real scientists with articles they hadn’t worked on.

If you plan to use AI to assist with your research, I want to share a new tool with you that will help you avoid citing hallucinated articles.