This paper aims to improve the reproducibility of source retrieval when researchers in Japanese American migration studies use digital Japanese-language newspapers. Using the Hoover Institution’s Hoji Shinbun Digital Collection as a case study, it presents a minimal procedure consisting of (1) query design that anticipates orthographic variation, (2) normalization of named entities and follow-up searches, (3) cross-checking across multiple newspapers and proximate dates, and (4) independent verification with non-newspaper sources. Through case studies in labor, education, health, and religion, it shows how this user-oriented workflow improves identification accuracy and helps avoid hasty interpretations of non-detection. The procedure is organized as a staged workflow, with step (1) as the point of departure and steps (2)–(4) used in combination as needed.