Where do I start?

That all depends on what you're trying to do. Read your assignment carefully and think about what steps you might want to take next. You probably will need to explore a topic area before you narrow your focus and come up with a thesis. Be sure to take advantage of the superb Writing Center tutors (who can help you think through an assignment) and the reference librarians (who can point you toward the best information resources).

planning

focusing

turning a topic into a thesis

Where can I find basic background information quickly?

Students very often begin with a Google search to get a sense of what's out there and what different approaches are being taken to a given topic. Wikipedia articles are often one of the first results listed in a Google search, but use them with caution. Librarians can point you toward specialized reference works such as the Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics or the Encyclopedia of Sociology that do a great job of filling you in on a topic before you dive in any deeper - and are much more likely to be considered credible sources by your teachers.

You can also check basic information such as definitions and dates using Oxford Reference Online.

scanning

browsing

skimming

Our library catalog offers options to search by author, title, etc. The "Advanced Search" option lets you limit by publication date, additional keywords, format (such as video) and so on.

Once you have a list of results, the Location column lists the call number--where the book is shelved. Some books are shelved on the upper level and the rest are on the main floor.

Once you've located a book that looks interesting, browse the shelves around it. The Library of Congress classification system used in this library puts books on the same subject together; because you can look directly at the books while choosing, browsing is an effective way to discover useful sources.

how books are published

searching library catalogs

borrowing books from other libraries

Databases for articles and other materials offer references to publications that may or may not be in this library; some databases offer full text of articles and others simply citations. There are in-depth databases that cover publications in a particular field and others that are interdisciplinary. Databases can be accessed from a drop-down list on the library's main page; you can see what's available by major or subject here. Here are two databases that are useful for many different topics.

Academic Search Premier
Searches both general magazines and scholarly journals on a wide variety of topics. Some are full text; others are merely citations to things that have been published. One way to limit a search is to check the "scholarly (peer reviewed) journals" box to exclude popular magazines from your search.

Proquest Newstand
This database contains full-text articles from newspapers around the world. Though it's not as up-to-date as newspaper Websites, you can read older articles that are only available for a fee from most Websites.

how articles are published

kinds of databases

how to search databases

Some questions are easier to answer through the web than others. If it has to do with current events, law, computers, popular culture, commercial products, organizations, or public affairs, the web offers a lot; if you're looking for research or scholarship, you aren't as likely to find what you want (though in some fields that is changing). Not everyone wants to give their research away for free.

If your topic is broad, you might do well to start with a directory such as the Librarians' Internet Index; or try some of the links on our pages for research by major.

It's particularly important to evaluate Web resources before you decide to use them in your research.

hints for successful searching

good sites for doing research

What about Wikipedia?

You may well want to dig in a little deeper by seeking out statistics or maps or even by doing your own field work. Stop by the reference desk to talk about your options.

statistics

maps

official documents

Make sure you keep sight of your focus as it evolves and deepens. You don't need to find all of the available sources, but you do want good ones that answer the questions you have posed for yourself and serve as convincing evidence for your reader. Your sources are your "expert witnesses" - so make sure they come with impeccable credentials.

Evaluate the sources as you find them, reviewing each one to see if it

• is relevant: Does this source help me accomplish my task?
• is timely: Is it too dated? is it a primary source from the historical period I'm interested in?
• is written for an appropriate audience: Has it repackaged information in a way that oversimplifies it? will my reader expect more technical or scholarly information than this?
• is authoritative: Are there clues that tell me why I (and my reader) should rely on this source? Why does the author present this information, and does that purpose suggest a particular bias? Does it analyze or advocate for a particular stance? 
• makes sense: Does the information hang together logically? Does it provide evidence for its claims that is persuasive? 

When you aren't an expert, it may seem daunting to evaluate the work others have published, but a book's table of contents or an article's opening paragraphs will help establish relevance. The language it is written in will help you decide if it is scholarly enough and yet not too highly technical for your purposes. Information given about the author might help you decide how much an authority he or she is. For Web sources, follow links to information "about this site" or to an author's home page, or shorten the URL to everything up to the first slash to see what its parent page looks like. When in doubt, check with your instructor.

Compare: In addition to looking at the quality of individual sources, compare them so that you can see where there are differences and conflicts. Even if you are heading toward a particular conclusion, you want to discuss alternative perspectives so your reader gets the big picture.

Corroborate: If you feel as if you're going out on a limb, try to corroborate the information you want to use in another source. A reference librarian can help you do that.

Try evaluating the following Web resources: where do they come from? How up-to-date are they? How do they compare?

scholarly versus popular sources

primary versus secondary sources

tracing cited works

Use The Everyday Writer (sections 18d and 19, pages 158-175) to learn about integrating sources in academic writing; use the blue-tabbed sections for documentation rules, or check out our information about citing your sources. If you're confused about whether you should cite a source or not, take a look at this explanation of plagiarism from the Purdue Online Writing Lab. And, of course you can always ask for another opinion at the Writing Center or the reference desk.

First of all, don't panic! Research is difficult and nobody expects you to know how to do it all on your own. Check with your teacher if you aren't sure how to narrow your topic or want a second opinion on sources and strategies. Stop by the Writing Center at any point during the process for expert advice from your talented peers. The Advising Center can help with issues such as time management and organization. In the library, visit the reference desk and let us know how it's going. We're sitting there for a reason; unless we're helping someone else, we're just killing time waiting for your questions. Don't be embarrassed - even seniors writing their theses ask us questions!