Join a Session with a Code:
1. Identify and develop your topic:
--Find a topic that interests you
--State your topic as a question
(e.g. "What effect does the plastic debris have on the marine ecology?" )
--Identify the main concepts and keywords
"What effect does the plastic debris have on the marine ecology?"
2. Locate a background information on your topic using
Specialized/Subject-specific Encyclopedias and Online Encyclopedias
--Provide more extensive coverage of a topic than a General Encyclopedia.
--Help you to get a better understanding of your topic and clarify your ideas
--Supply the keywords that are commonly used in a discipline
--Provide related articles in Bibliography (References)
3. Create a list including;
--Search terms: relevant terms, synonyms, brooder & narrower terms, or
descriptive phrases that describe your topic
--Call numbers you discovered for relevant books
--Subject Headings: browse LCSH online to look up broader terms, narrower
terms, variants, and related terms.
(Enter keyword or phrase, select "LC Subject Headings," and then click "Search")
--Names of experts and organizations
--Titles of scholarly journals related to your topic
4. Select Resources considering;
--What are you going to research?
--What are your information requirements?
(Consider the type, quantity, and format)
--What kind of assignment do you have to complete?
--How much information do you need?
--What types of publications do you want to read?
(books, newspaper, journal, or consumer magazine articles, government
documents, & primary sources)
--What format do you need? (audio-Visual, print, electronic)
5. Search library’s HPU Discovery to locate:
--Articles
--Books & Ebooks
-- Reference Books
-- VHS, DVD, & Streaming Videos
6. Browse your libraries’ shelves for the call number discovered in step 5.
7. Search library’s A-Z Databases to locate:
--E-Books
--Online Encyclopedias (Reference & Statistics)
--Journal & Magazine (Consumer or Trade) Articles
--Newspaper Articles
--HPU Graduate Professional Papers
(On Campus Access Only)
8. Search Tips
--Do a trial search, using a few of the specific key terms for your topic.
--Review the first few articles and focus on the subject terms used.
--Revise your search using;
*Boolean Operators [ AND, OR, NOT ] to combine
more than two search terms.
*Quotation marks [ " " ] for searching phrases.
* Wild card characters [ ? & * ]
--Refine or narrow your search using limiters such as date range, article
type, full-text availability, etc.
--Revise search again for more focus, if necessary
9. Evaluate what you found: skim everything you locate to determine which resources may be the most useful.
10.Revise/refine your search as necessary: repeat steps 5 through 9 as necessary.
Source:
George, M. W., (2008). Strategy and Tools for Discovery. The Elements of Library Research (pp. 67-69). New Jersey: Princeton University Press.