Homeland Security

This page will provide you with some tips and tricks to make your research a breeze! If you still can't find what you need, please don't hesitate to contact the library! You can find our contact information and more on the Get Help page.

To get you started, here are some general search strategies:

Keyword Strategies

Use these keywords in a general search in any one of our recommended databases or inside DragonQuest:

• National Incident Management System
• Natural Disasters AND Homeland Security
• Biological Warfare AND Terrorism
• Chemical Warfare AND Terrorism
• Train Derailment
• Active Shooter Preparedness
• Hizballah
• Counterterrorism
• Domestic Nuclear Detection Office
• Zamfara Massacres
• Sri Lanka Easter Bombings
• London Bridge Attack
• Tokyo Subway Sarin Attack
• Aum Shinrikyo
• US Capitol Riot

Subject Strategies

Searching for results by subject heading, rather than by keywords, can help you focus your search in new directions. Consider these subject search options:

• Countering Violent Extremism
• Terrorism–Prevention
• Bioterrorism
• Terrorist Organizations
• Cyberterrorism
• Exposure to Violence*/prevention & control
• Armed Conflicts/*psychology
• Disaster Planning
• Disease Outbreaks*/prevention & control
• Biological Warfare*/prevention & control
• Terrorism*/prevention & control
• Chemical Warfare
• Biological Warfare
• Emergency Preparedness
• Suicide bombings--Religious aspects

The following image shows you how to change your search to a subject search by using the dropdown menu inside DragonQuest:

Research Starters

Need some extra guidance? Try a Research Starter:

• 2021 Storming of the United States Capitol

• “September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks”

• Aum Shinrikyo (religious movement)

• USA PATRIOT Act

• Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)

• Timothy McVeigh

• Hamas (Harakat al-Muqawamah al-Islamiyyah), AKA: Islamic Resistance Movement

• Hurricane Katrina

• Influenza Pandemic of 1918–19

• Oklahoma City Bombing

• Boko Haram

• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

• 2020 California Wildfires

• Boston Marathon Bombings

• Islamic Fundamentalism

What is a Research Starter?

Research Starters are encyclopedia entries, so they are more of an "idea gathering" mechanism than a scholarly source to support your stance on an issue. They provide you with background information on a broad topic and highlight keywords you can use and/or links to source material to get you started on your research.

Narrowing DragonQuest Search Results

If you'd like to know how to narrow down your DragonQuest list to only full text, peer reviewed, or specific types of resources, we recommend the following tutorial:

Searching Specific Databases

For a narrowed search experience, you may want to try searching through individual databases. Use our A to Z list and narrow by subject, as shown in the following image:

If you'd like additional guidance on using Academic Writer, we recommend the following tutorial: