Seven steps to library research
Follow the steps below for a simple and effective research strategy.
Step 1: Choose Your Topic
Brainstorm by thinking about what you've been talking about and reading in your class. State your topic as a question. For example, if you are interested in finding out about the use of alcoholic beverages by college students, you might pose the question, "What effect does the use of alcoholic beverages have on the health of college students?" Identify and write down the main concepts or keywords in your question.
Step 2: Find Some Background Information
Using the concepts and keywords from Step 1, look in the indexes to subject encyclopedias. Encyclopedia articles can provide names, dates, places, and people associated with your topic. Note any relevant items in the bibliographies at the end of the encyclopedia articles. Additional background information may be found in your class notes, textbooks, and reserve readings.
Step 3: Use Addison to Find Books on Your Topic
You can use Addison, the online catalog, to find books on your topic. In Addison, you can search by keyword, subject, author, or title. Make sure you write down the complete title, the author's name, and the complete call number for each book you find on Addison. When you get a book from the shelf, scan its bibliography (if it has one) for additional sources. Also, if you are searching Addison by subject, look for the standard subject subheading "--BIBLIOGRAPHY." These are book-length lists of sources that may be useful.
Step 4: Use Indexes to Find Periodical Articles on Your Topic
Use periodical indexes and abstracts, like Readers' Guide and InfoTrac, to find citations to articles. Indexes and abstracts may be in print or computer-based formats - or both. Since we have many different indexes and abstracts, you may need to ask at the Reference Desk for help in figuring out which one would be best for you and your topic. Once you have a list of citations from a periodical index, you will need to see whether the University Libraries have the periodicals on your list. Search Addison by the title of each periodical.
For in-depth information on finding periodical articles, go to Finding Periodical Articles in Newman Library.
Step 5: Evaluate What You Have Found
Please see our pages on Evaluating Internet Resources and on Critically Anaylzing Your Sources.
Step 6: Write Your Paper
We have a number of books that will help you write and format your paper.
- Cash, Phyllis. How to Develop and Write a Research Paper. 2nd ed. New York: Arco, 1988. LB2369 C36 1988.
- The Chicago Manual of Style. 15th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003. Ref PN147 M36 14th Ready Reference.
- Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th ed. New York: MLA, 2003. Ref LB2369 G53 2003 Ready Reference.
- Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. 5th ed. Washington: APA, 2001. Ref BF 76.7 P83 2001 Ready Reference.
- Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. 6th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996. Ref LB2369 T8 1996 Torg Ref.
- Dodd, Janet S., ed. The ACS Style Guide: A Manual for Authors and Editors. 2nd ed. Washington: American Chemical Society, 1986. QD8.5 .A25 1997
Step 7: Format Your Bibliography
You will need to use a standard format for your bibliography. Many of the sources listed in Step 6 can help you document and format the citations in your bibliography. However, you may want to view some online examples provided by:
- Modern Language Association (MLA)
- American Psychological Association (APA)
- Citation & Style Guides University Libraries Reference Resources Page
Research Tips:
- WORK FROM THE GENERAL TO THE SPECIFIC: Find background information first, then use more specific and recent resources.
- RECORD WHAT YOU FIND AND WHERE YOU FOUND IT: Write out a complete citation for each source you find; you may need it again later.
- TRANSLATE YOUR TOPIC INTO THE SUBJECT LANGUAGE OF THE INDEXES AND CATALOGS YOU USE: CHeck your topic words against a thesaurus or subject heading list.
NOTE: Material in this guide has been adapted and/or modified from Library Research at Cornell: a Hypertext Guide, developed by the Reference Services Division of Olin*Kroch*Uris Libraries at Cornell University.
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