Research Guides @ Fordham: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Studies (LGBTQ): Search Strategies for LGBTQ Research

Search Strategies for LGBTQ Research

Welcome to the LGBTQ Studies Research Guide!

decorative Selecting keywords for research in LGBTQ+ Studies can be challenging for a variety of reasons:

The "LGBTQ+ community" is not a monolith; there are divisions and hierarchies amongst various identities creating a range of lived experiences.

Language for naming and describing LGBTQ+ communities changes over time and varies across regions and cultures.

Many terms for naming LGBTQ+ communities remain contested and debated from within the community and can include reclaimed terms that were once considered offensive.

Terms and/or subject classifications used in academic literature may be different from the language that is used in everyday speech or activist movements.

Using initials like "LGBT" or "LGBTQIA" or "GLBT" as search terms might not generate desired results in library catalogs or databases because:
- Some scholarship focuses on specific identity groups (gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, trans* communities, etc.) rather than including a spectrum of identities.
- These initials reflect more recent naming conventions and were not used widely before the late 1990s.

This page provides tools to take these issues into consideration when selecting keywords and developing search strategies that cast a wide net when searching library catalogs and databases.

Search Tips & Tricks

As you search through library databases, look for subjects, subject headings, index terms, categories, or author-supplied keywords. You can use these terms to improve your search based on how the database is structured. If the terms are hyperlinked, you can click on them to generate similar results.

Use Boolean Operators [AND, OR, NOT] and Modifiers [ "", *, ( ) ] to structure your search terms within a database to maximize your results. Some databases provide boxes to support Boolean searching:

For quick tutorials on using Boolean search strategies, try the following short videos:
- How Library Stuff Works: Boolean Operators from McMaster Libraries
- How Library Stuff Works: Boolean Modifiers from McMaster Libraries

Consult the Database Search Tips from MIT Libraries for additional insights into structuring your search terms.

Glossaries and Terminology Guides for LGBTQ+ Communities

An Ally's Guide to Terminology: Talking About LGBT People & Equality (2017 edition)
Overview of essential vocabulary and some terms to avoid from the Movement Advancement Project.
GLAAD Media Reference Guide (10th Edition)
Developed for journalists at mainstream media outlets and by creators in entertainment media who want to tell LGBTQ people's stories fairly and accurately.
Glossary of LGBT Terms for Health Care Teams
Developed by the National LGBT Health Education Center, a Project of the Fenway Institute.
NLGJA’s Stylebook Supplement on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Terminology
The Association of LGBTQ Journalists (NLGJA) created this resource to complement the stylebooks of individual publications as well as the Associated Press stylebook.
PFLAG National Glossary of Terms
Glossary offered as a starting point for dialogue and understanding.

Bibliographies & Language Sources

Bibliographies can be helpful with researching historical terms and topics pertaining to LGBTQ+ communities.

Lesbian Sources : A Bibliography of Periodical Articles, 1970-1990 by Linda Garber
Garland Publishing, 1993.
Call number [QuinnX] HQ75.5.A1 G3 1993
Homosexuality : A Research Guide by Wayne R. Dynes
Garland Publishing, 1987.
Call number [QuinnX & RH Stacks] HQ76.25.A1 D9 1987
Homosexuality Bibliography : Supplement, 1970-1975 by William Parker
The Scarecrow Press, 1977.
Call number [QuinnX & RH Stacks] HQ76.A1 P32
An Annotated Bibliography of Homosexuality by Vern L. Bullough; W. Dorr Legg; Barrett W. Elcano
Garland Publications, 1976.
Call number [QuinnX] HQ76.A1 B8 V. 1 & V.2
A Gay Bibliography : Eight Bibliographies on Lesbian and Male Homosexuality by Jonathan N. Katz (Editor)
Arno Press, 1975.
Call number [QuinnX & RH Stacks] HQ76.A1 G3 1975
Homosexuality : An Annotated Bibliography (1st ed.) by Martin Weinberg; Alan Bell (editors)
Harper & Row, 1972.
Call number [QuinnX & RH Stacks] HQ76.A1 W45
Homosexuality : A Selective Bibliography of Over 3,000 Items by William Parker
The Scarecrow Press, 1971.
Call number [QuinnX & RH Stacks] HQ76.A1 P3

Resources documenting language and slang can assist with locating outdated terms to describe LGBTQ+ communities when searching through historical sources.

Slang and Euphemism by Richard A. Spears
Jonathan David Publishers, 1981.
Call number [RH Reference Area] PE3721 .S67 1981
An Encyclopedia of Swearing by Geoffrey Hughes
M.E. Sharpe, 2006.
Call number [RH Reference Area] PE3724.O3 H84 2006
The Vulgar Tongue : Green's History of Slang by Jonathon Green
Oxford University Press, 2014.
Queerly Phrased [electronic resource] : Language, Gender, and Sexuality by Anna Livia and Kira Hall (editors)
Oxford University Press, 1997.
Call number [RH & LC Stacks] P120.S48 Q44 1997
The Concise New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English [electronic resource] by Tom Dalzell and Terry Victor (editors)
Routledge, 2015.
Gay New York : The Making of the Gay Male World, 1890-1940 by George Chauncey
Flamingo, 1995.
Call number [RH Stacks] HQ76.2.U52 N53 1995

As always, please check the library catalog for additional resources. For research assistance, feel free to ask one of the librarians listed on this guide for help.