Google Scholar tells you how many times an article has been cited by other authors. Highly cited articles may sometimes be seminal works. However, you need to have additional evidence, such as being cited in books, dissertations or theses.
Adapted from the Finding Seminal Research guide created by Shanti Freundlich, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Used by permission.
While dissertations and theses are not primary, peer-reviewed sources and, therefore, are not good choices for your paper in themselves, they can be great places to familiarize yourself with a research topic and existing research. Search for your topic or a related topic and look at their literature review section and bibliography. These databases contain full-text dissertations and theses. NOTE that they can be hundreds of pages long, so consider the length before printing.
Searching online is another way to find seminal or foundational research. Useful search terms to combine with your topic include
Remember to evaluate your search results. In order to determine if a research article is seminal, you should find it referenced by many articles, books, or dissertations/theses. For example, Google Scholar says it is highly cited, and it is mentioned in a reference book entry or your textbook. Foundational research/researchers will show up frequently as you read about your topic.
Scholarly books and reference works like specialized encyclopedias may cite foundational research. Scholarly books cover topics in more depth than articles or dissertations and often give a historical overview of relevant research which identifies prominent researchers, explains important ideas, and/or discusses relevant theories. You can find specialized encyclopedias in Credo Reference. Books can be located through the library catalog and in Academic Complete e-book database.
Reference e-books on a wide range of topics. Sources include dictionaries, encyclopedias, key concepts, key thinkers, handbooks, atlases, and more. Search by keyword or browse titles by topic.
