HE 111/112: STARTING YOUR RESEARCH TIPS
The following questions and tips are designed to help you research effectively
and efficiently.
| 
QUESTIONS YOU NEED TO ASK YOURSELF
|
| 1.What do you already know about your subject? |
- What aspects of this topic interest you?
- Where would you go to find out more?
|
| 2. How long has your subject existed? Is it a relatively new concept? |
- What broad discipline does it fall into? (e.g., History,
Engineering, Education? Political Science? Oceanography?)
|
| 3. What Kinds of Resources would be useful for this paper? |
| For example, would any/all
of the following help you find out about your topic?
- Newspapers?
- Magazine Articles?
- Journal Articles?
- Books? (Reference Books, Monographs, Etc.)
- Primary Resources? (e.g., Letters, Diaries, First-Hand
Accounts, Interviews)
- Government Documents?
|
| 4. How long do you have to do this Paper/Project? |
- How long does the paper need to be?
|
START WITH THE NIMITZ LIBRARY MAIN
PAGE
See especially:
Library Catalog
(for what's here)
Research By Subject
pages (a variety of resources for specific subjects)
Databases
(for access to on-line indexes, some with full text)
Navigating
the Web (to help you make the most of the Internet)
Research Tips (to answer some basic research strategy questions)
| HOW
TO SEARCH When should you use keywords, subject headings, phrases,
single words?
Keywords usually give you more resources (a broader search).
Subject Headings, which use a standardized vocabulary, usually
give you more specific resources on your topic.
BOOLEAN LOGIC
Boolean Operators (especially OR and AND) allow you to combine words
in a logical way to get the results you want.
USE "AND" TO NARROW YOUR SEARCH AND "OR" TO BROADEN YOUR SEARCH
|
EVALUATE YOUR RESOURCES
USE THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS TO EVALUATE RESOURCES (especially
from the sites you find on the Internet):
- Who wrote it and can you tell the author's affiliation or
background?
- Who is the intended audience?
- What is the scope or coverage of the resource?
- Why was it written/published (is the material objective or
biased)?
- When was it published?
- Where was it published (who is the publisher?)?
- How is the information presented (is there any supporting
material?)?
- How accurate does the information appear?
POINTS
TO REMEMBER
- Library research is a process and sometimes you will need
to use the "trial and error" method.
- Record what you find so that you will have the information
for your bibliography.
- Follow leads (e.g., browse nearby books, use references in
materials you find).
- Be creative and flexible.
- Library research typically takes longer than you think it
will; try to allow yourself enough time.
- Ask if you need help.
WHERE TO GO IF YOU NEED HELP OR HAVE QUESTIONS:
- Reference Desk in the Nimitz Library (x32420)
- Michael Macan, Reference-Bibliographer for English (x36927)
-- MM/ May 2006
Comments or suggestions?
URL: http://www.usna.edu/Library/Literature/Authors.html
URL: http://www.usna.edu/Library/Literature/HE111.html
Last updated: 31 October 2005 |
