Research Tips

… with Chad Mairn, Librarian

Need Help?? www.askalibrarian.org

Before you begin, ask yourself:

What is my assignment? What questions do I need to answer?

What kind and how much information do I need?

What do I already know? What do I want to know?

How can I apply what I already know to what I am learning now?

Topic: Health Care Reform

Thesis: Health care reform will make health care less expensive, extend coverage, and consequently help stabilize the economy.

What I already know …

What I would like to know …

My Primary focus …

I know this …I know this … I know this …

I’d like to know this …I’d like to know this …I’d like to know this …

I’ll focus on this …I’ll focus on this …I’ll focus on this …

Search and you will find …

Search within our library website for books, articles, e-books and more!

As you search for resources, ask:

Do the sources I am finding support my research question?

How can I best share my conclusions with others?

Have I completely answered my research question?

You can export to RefWorks or you can

simply copy/paste the

citation.

Research Tip …

can cite sources! Just copy/paste the book’s ISBN into the search box.

Scholarly Journal

General Magazine

General Databases

Use Advanced Search Feature Refine your topic using

suggested subject headings Limit to full text Exclude book reviews Read the abstract to decide

whether the article is appropriate for your topic

Select the type of source: peer-reviewed, newspaper, magazine

Export the Citation Information

Contain information on many topics

Tips

Specialized Databases

Use keyword searching or take advantage of topic lists

Refine the topic using suggested subject headings

Use tabs or side bars to locate the type of information needed on the topic

Use citation links to copy or export citation information

Contain information on a single topic

Tips

Finding Information on the WWW

Watch Google Instant. Use Advanced Search Feature Remember anyone can create

a website. Can you clearly determine who

has written the article? Do they have subject expertise? Is the website relevant to your

research? Is it comprehensive? Up-to date?

Biased? Can the information be verified?

Utilize Search Engine Features

Tips

Don’t settle for a general Google Search!•Use the advanced search feature to limit to edu or org sites•Use Google Scholar to access peer reviewed sources •Use Google Books for excerpts from published works

Other Things to Consider:

Critically evaluate what you read and judge it accordingly.

Ask yourself what is missing from an article.

Cite your sources! Take good notes and remember to document where and when you found the information.

Read SPC’s Academic Honesty Policy at http://www.spcollege.edu/webcentral/admit/honesty.htm.

Citing Sources

http://mlahandbook.org

Sign on with this information:    spc.mla.help@gmai

l.com Password:  mlahelp

Citation Management Tools

Online Access to MLA Manual

http://spcollege.libguides.com/refworks

www.worldcat.org www.citationmachine.net

www.zotero.net

www.easybib.com/ www.noodletools.com/

www.bibme.org/ 

Other citation tools …

Need Help?? www.askalibrarian.org