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.
Library Research for ENVS 4100/4400
I. PRESENTATION:
1. Scientific Information Overview:
2. Strategic Searching:
* What to Search
* How to Search
* Where to Search
II. SEARCH DEMONSTRATION
III. HANDS-ON EXERCISE:
Format of Research Articles
by Eletronic Journal of Biochemistry
Format of Review Articles
by Eletronic Journal of Biochemistry
Help in Writing Annotations
by Cal State San Marcos Library
Looking for DOI?
by Crossref.org
Popular, Scholarly, or Trade?
by The University of Texas at Austin Libraries
Reviewing the Literature
generated from SAGE Research Methods.
What are Primary Sources?
by Yale University Libraries
What is Plagiarism?
by Plagiarism.org
The ACS Style Guide by