Where to Start and What to Do?
Where do you start?
Ever have a research paper due and have no idea where to start ... or even how to find help? Well have no fear! This guide will break the research process down into two easy parts: Planning and implementation.
Just follow this outline and you will be well on your way to becoming an expert researcher!
Find It!
- To look through EVERYTHING that the Connelly Library has to offer, try Summon.
- To find books (including e-books), search our library catalog.
- To find electronic journals, search our E-Journal Portal
- To find journal articles, search our Databases.
- To find online reference information, search our reference databases. Check out Credo Academic Core.
Importance of Using Reference Sources
REFERENCE SOURCES
References sources, particularly specialized encyclopedias, offer many benefits. Consider the following tips as you review a reference source on your topic to reap all the benefits and make your researching even better.
- Get definitions and background - Reference sources assume that you are new to a topic. Jargon and specialized terminology will be explained and contextualized, which you might not get in more advanced books and journal articles.
- Get caught-up on a topic - Research is a conversation, and often it has been going on for years. Reference sources will provide a historical background and identify key developments to help you understand how we got to the current understandings and theories.
- Identify key people and theories - Who are the most important people and ideas on your topic? Reference sources will help you identify them so you can explore their lives and research more deeply.
- Find more sources - Reference sources will provide additional reading, usually in the form of references or background lists. These are a great next-step in your research process.
