Finding references for any research can be difficult. It is especially so when dealing with a year-long capstone project. While I have a lot of resources already from related classes and projects, it is not easy figuring out what sources are going to be helpful for my capstone. In order to get a better grasp on different kinds of resources, I have broken down various resources by scale. An updated and annotated list of my essential resources can be found here.
First, there are base-level essential resources that provide the basic theories and ideas grounding all of my research. For my capstone, I have three general spheres of thought: technology, agriculture, and sustainable development. Each of these contains schools of thought, mainly from various classes I have taken, that I am using as a basis for my research. However, all of these fields are incredibly broad and it is difficult to decide what exactly to include or not. There are some books or theories that are incredibly influential to areas I am researching, but I am not sure how relevant these sources themselves are to my capstone. One example would be Thomas Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, which is very important to any discussion of technological revolutions and paradigm shifts, but I’m not sure yet if this is a book in itself is essential for my research. I think with a deeper look into available resources, the role for these base-level resources will be more clear. I have currently identified a handful of these essential resources, but I am still adding more as I see fit with further research.
Next, there are resources that combine at least two of my schools of thought and start to get at my situated context. Where the previous sources provide the groundwork for my capstone, these sources are the bulk of my research. One great example would be Parul Sheth’s report on a conference about the role of Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in India. I have some sources I have already found or have had from previous projects, but this is where I need to currently focus my efforts.
Finally, I will need to get to specific, primary resources that provide data for my research. I have not started looking for these resources yet as I need a better grounding in the previous kinds of resources. However, it would be helpful to begin looking for data as the availability of these resources will determine some of the specifics of my research.