American Language Institute (ALI)

Choose a database

1. If you’re unsure which database to choose, try Academic Search Complete to begin. 
2. Enter one or several search terms in the boxes.
3. Remember that “AND” makes your search more specific,  “OR” makes it more general.
4. Use the Limiters, like Subjects and Date, to help narrow down your results before looking through a huge list.

ASK YOURSELF:

1. What kinds of results am I getting? How many?
2. Is the information Informative for my topic?
3. What keywords seem to be working best?
4. What new keywords (Subject terms, synonyms) can I try?

EVALUATE SOURCES

For each source you think may be useful for the assignment, ask yourself questions like these and make notes about the answer to keep track of your progress and intention:

• Who are the authors of the works I have chosen? (Including websites, if any.)
  • What is their expertise?
• Who is the intended audience of each work?
  • How can I tell?
• What is the purpose of the work I have found?
• What does each one want to tell its reader?
• How does the work help my paper idea?
  • What part of my paper does it support?

OneSearch

Our main search machine, you can use this to find books and articles on any topic. You'll find this box on the library's home page.

Then choose one of these to find further information:

Which database should you use?