Experts can be anyone who has extensively researched a topic (e.g., professors/scholars), worked extensively in the area of the topic (e.g., experienced industry professionals), and/or has an informed opinion about the topic (e.g., consumers/customers).

Use the resources and approaches below to complement other ways you may already have found experts in earlier steps. For example:

• In Step 2, you may have found articles quoting industry experts or representatives of industry associations. Search online for their contact information, if it is not provided in the article.
• In Step 3, industry reports may have included the names of significant associations, trade groups, or regulatory bodies, which you can look up online.

Depending on what you’re looking for, there may be other resources that can help, too--ask me!

Illinois Experts (profiles of researchers at UIUC, to help you find someone who researches your topic)

• Type keywords into the box that says "Explore research and scholarship at Illinois."  If you choose the Advanced Search (under the search box), you'll have more options to manage your search terms.
• In the results list, article citations show UIUC authors in orange text. You can click on an authors name to see their profile and contact information.
• Profiles will have "Fingerprints" or tags for the scholar's research.  Clicking on a tag will give a list of other UIUC researchers with the same tag.

Campus Directory (to find other UIUC experts beyond researchers)

• Go to the university homepage and use the Search function in the upper left to find people and units on campus
• Alternatively, click on Campus Directory (next to the Search box) for similar info, including a link to Primary Units and Departments

IF YOU WILL BE DOING A SURVEY FOR YOUR PROJECT, please consider getting assistance from the Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning (CITL), to make sure your survey instrument is likely to generate the responses you need. These services are open to all University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty, staff, and students.

• CITL provides drop-in consulting on survey construction and implementation in Main Library Room 220 Monday-Friday.
• Alternatively, you can request a consultation through the CITL webform.

Google for associations and non-profit organizations

• Type in [keyword] [keyword] [association] to generate a list of organizations with your keywords.  Contact these organizations for information.
• Alternatively, you can also use Advanced Google (Step 7).