My prior belief on mental illness, particularly depression, causing gun violence was questionable because when an individual is suffering from depression, they may find it challenging to find the energy to participate in such a violent crime.

• Set up a system to document your searches and findings, such as annotated bibliography, Zotero library, search logs.

• State your specific research question:

  • What is the prevalence of diagnosed and untreated mental illness among individuals who engage in acts of violence involving firearms and other weapons?

• Brainstorm key search terms and phrases. Try different combinations.

• Search library databases like Academic Search Complete using filters for last 10 years, peer reviewed. Compare to Zotero library.

• Document your process with descriptions and screenshots showing number of results reviewed.

• Search non-academic sources for your topic.

• Select 1 example of misinformation or pseudoscience. Analyze using QALMRI.

• Explain why the claims are problematic and assess the influence based on metrics like shares.