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Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, & Two-Spirit (MMIWG2S)

Summon

Enter general keywords.

TIP: Limit your results to journal articles by selecting Content Type: Journal Article (under "Refine Your Search" on the left-hand side of the screen). You can also filter by publication date, academic discipline, and language; limit your result to peer reviewed publications; and exclude certain formats (e.g. newspapers) from your results.

TIP: Use quotation marks to search for a phrase (e.g. "First Nations"). Use an asterisk to truncate a term to search for words with the same stem (e.g. Curric* retrieves Curriculum, Curricula, Curricular, etc.).

Keyword Searches for Articles in Summon

To search for  articles in Summon, refine your search through the left side bar and select the journal articles option. The search can be limited more through excluding other facets when "More" is pressed underneath the "Content Type" section.

Combine keywords relating to the concept of Indigenous identity AND keywords about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. For example:

  • "First Nations"
  • Indigenous
  • Aboriginal
  • Indian
  • "Indians of North America"
  • Native
  • Inuit
  • Métis
  • Musqueam (or any nation)

AND

  • "Human Trafficking"
  • "Domestic Violence"
  • "Indigenous Women"
  • "Sexual Abuse"
  • "Matriate" or "Rematriate"
  • “MMIW National Inquiry”
  • "Sisters in Spirit"
  • "Stolen Sisters"
  • "Missing women"
  • Genocide
  • "Violence Against Women"
  • Prostitution
  • "Missing and Murdered Indigenous women"
  • “MMIW Commission*”
  • "Highway of Tears"

Helpful Hints for Keyword Searches

  • Use quotation marks to search for a phrase.
    Example: "Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women"
  • Use a question mark or asterisk to truncate a term to search for words with the same stem.
    Example: crim? or crim* retrieves crime, crimes, criminal, and criminology

To search for articles that specifically mention MMIWG, use: 

(MMIWG OR "Missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls" OR "Missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls")

To search for articles about violence and crimes against Indigenous women in Canada, use: 

(Indigenous OR "First Nations" OR Inuit OR Métis OR Aboriginal) 

AND (women OR woman OR girl* OR female*)

AND (murder* OR violen* OR traffic* OR abuse OR missing OR crime* OR exploitation OR "human trafficking")

Why Databases?

Searching within databases can be more time consuming than using Summon, but there are advantages to this research strategy: 

  • Databases are usually limited by academic discipline, which means you will retrieve fewer results but they may be more relevant.
  • Databases are highly structured, which means you can perform complex searches using controlled vocabulary.

The following databases are useful for finding articles related to the Indian Residential School System in Canada. For a more comprehensive list, see the Articles page of our First Nations and Indigenous Studies research guide.

Each database may have their own way and limitations of searching within the database. Some may use "And," "Or," quotation marks and other search strategies in the above box, but some may not. If you are not getting the results you expected within a database, make sure the search is worded the way the database works. 

TIP: Searching databases with the keywords recommended in this research guide is a good starting strategy. However, be aware that some databases may use different terminology. When you find a relevant article, check the subject headings and article description for terminology that could be useful in a new keyword search.

Databases

Searching within databases can be more time consuming than using Summon, but there are advantages to this research strategy: 

  • Databases are usually limited by academic discipline, which means you will retrieve fewer results but they may be more relevant.
  • Databases are highly structured, which means you can perform complex searches using controlled vocabulary.

The following databases are useful for finding articles related to this topic. For a more comprehensive list, see the Articles page of our First Nations and Indigenous Studies research guide. 

Each database may have their own way and limitations of searching within the database. Some may use "And," "Or," quotation marks and other search strategies listed on the books & media tab, but some may not. If you are not getting the results you expected within a database, make sure the search is worded the way the database works. 

TIP: Searching databases with the keywords recommended in this research guide is a good starting strategy. However, be aware that some databases may use different terminology. When you find a relevant article, check the subject headings and article description for terminology that could be useful in a new keyword search.

Terminology Guides

"If you are unsure about names and terms, ask the Aboriginal people you’re reporting on which term they prefer." (From Reporting in Indigenous Communities).