This research guide provides tips for Libreral Studies students for using library resources.
Explore a topic and answer three big questions:
is there enough good information for me to use in developing my own ideas on the topic?
do I have enough knowledge to understand the writings on the topic?
after looking at a preliminary group of resources, do I still like this topic?
For example: How does social media affect teens in school?
Write out keywords that you expect to find in resources on your topic. These will include all main ideas. More specific terms are usually better.
Then, for each keyword, write as many synonyms as possible.
Write out broader and narrower terms.
For example:
Keyword |
Synonyms |
Broader terms |
Narrower terms |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Social media
|
|
Screen time |
Tik tok Facebook etc. |
|
Teens |
adolescents |
children |
High school seniors |
|
Affect (this does not work as a key word because it is too vague and can’t be measured, consider different ways of describing what you need) |
Success, grades, GPA, |
|
|
|
School
|
students |
|
|
|
Add other terms as you find them |
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Do you need:
Books? Articles? Newpapers?
For books, use OneSearch. For articles, use databases.
Where |
Expect to Find |
Tried it? |
Success? |
|---|---|---|---|
|
OneSearch |
Books and theses |
Yes |
lots of good options |
|
ERIC |
Articles about education |
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|
Newspapers Search |
Newspaper articles |
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If you’re unsure which database to choose, try Academic Search Complete to begin.
Enter one or several search terms in the boxes.
Remember that “AND” makes your search more specific, “OR” makes it more general.
Use the Limiters, like “Peer Reviewed” Subjects and Date, to help narrow down your results before looking through a huge list.
For example: “social media” AND (teens OR adolescents) AND school AND success
What kinds of results am I getting? How many?
Is the information Informative for my topic?
What keywords seem to be working best?
What new keywords (Subject terms, synonyms) can I try?
Shoud I try narrower or broader terms?
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:
BE SURE TO NOTE all Citation information (author, title, journal title, volume, issue, page numbers, etc.)
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?
What is the purpose of the work I have found? What does it want to tell its reader? (is there bias/ is it propaganda?)
How does the work help my paper idea?
What part of my paper does it support?
Does this information change my thinking/writing?
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