Finding Library Resources

Before you begin actually doing your research, it is good to plan out your search strategy. Use the tips on this page or watch the videos to develop one for your research topic.

Pick the Right Database

Most of the library resources live in databases. Databases collect information and make that information searchable. A complete list of our databases can be viewed on the A to Z page, but databases are not limited to library resources. Databases you are more likely to be familiar with are things like Netflix or Spotify. Databases have some common characteristics, whether they are for academic research or personal use:

• Databases collect information around a specific topic or field. For the Netflix and Spotify example, the "topics" would be movies/tv shows and music. The Library's academic databases cover topics such as business, history, current events, and much more.
• Databases collect specific types of information. Netflix has video files and Spotify has music files. The Library's databases include print books, ebooks, journal articles, magazine and newspaper articles, videos, photographs, and maps, among other things.

On the A to Z page you can filter the list of databases by subject and/or format so that you can be sure the database you are searching has appropriate information for your assignment. Additionally, consider the Search Everything box on the library's home page. This searches most of the databases at one time!

Create Good Search Terms

Before you can begin searching for information in a print or online resource, you need to identify keywords related to your topic. Key terminology can be easily be found by scanning:

• Your initial research questions
• Encyclopedia and other articles used when conducting background research
• Bibliographies found at the end of books and articles

If you are still struggling, then try these suggestions:

• Use a thesaurus (Microsoft Office, print or online) to identify synonyms
• Find pictures related to your topic, then describe the picture
• Brainstorm keywords with a librarian, your instructor, or a friend

Make a list to keep track of keywords related to your topic. Keep it by your side when you start your research.

The keywords you use can have a profound impact on the results of your research. Using the “right” words will speed up the research process, while the “wrong” words can bring to it to a screeching halt.

Boolean Searching

Boolean searching is the traditional way to search for information in most online databases and on the Internet. Boolean operators or connector words, such as AND, OR, and NOT, are used to create phrases and concepts based on specific rules of search logic.  

Database Features

Databases allow you to search for information and limit your results in a lot of highly specific ways. Some of the more common ones include:

• language: If you are getting a lot of results that are not English, you can limit to English only results. Or maybe you are more comfortable reading in your first language? Limit your results to only that language!
• date: For some topics, recent information is required. Limit your results to only information published in a certain date range.
• format: Even though many databases have only one or two format types they carry (newspapers, videos, etc.), some of them have multiple formats. If seeing information in a specific format is important to you, use this limiter.
• subject headings: Subject headings are great at organizing information on the same topic but that use different spellings or phrases. Use subject headings to find information whether the authors use color or colour, kids or children, or Mohandas Gandhi or Mahatma Gandhi!
• full text: Databases don't always offer access to the complete article, book, or video. If you need to see the complete piece, limit to full text resources.
• peer review: Sometimes instructors require peer reviewed information only. You can use this limiter to see only that information.

Scholarly vs. Popular and Peer Review

Information falls into one of two categories: scholarly and popular. These two categories are not meant to imply "goodness" or "badness," but instead tell you things like who the audience is, what level of knowledge you may need to read and understand it, and where to find it. Sometimes instructors want information that falls into one particular category, so part of your search strategy is ensuring you are searching in places that will give you the right information. 

Scholarly resources are written by experts in a field for experts in a field. Print scholarly resources are usually physically built like a magazine and called journals, but videos and books can be scholarly too. They often use jargon (or words specific to a field rather than every day language) in their writing and are more likely to contain data in various charts and graphs rather than pictures and advertisements. Typically they also have a more research focus than informational focus - for example, something scholarly would do a study and report the impact that food insecurity has on a student's grades but not tell the story of a specific student experiencing food insecurity. These types of resources are often very expensive and found in the library. Scholarly resources often go through process called peer review.

The basic peer review process involves a scholar creating a piece of information (writing an article, creating a video, etc.) and then submitting it to a journal for publication. The editor of the journal reviews it and decides whether or not to send it to peer reviewers. If the editor does decide it is worth considering for that journal, the editor finds experts in the field discussed in the article/video/book/etc. and has them review it. The peer reviewers send the information back to the editor with one of three recommendations: accept, accept with revisions, or reject. If the decision is to accept or accept with revisions, the author is given the peer reviewers comments, edits the final article, and submits for publication. Library databases often let you limit your results to only peer reviewed information.

Popular resources may or may not be written by experts in a field, but they are written for the general public. Popular resources giving information on academic topics may clearly explain concepts that would not need to be explained to experts. Many resources that people typically think of as "good" or "quality" are still considered popular - New York Times and CNN for example. Popular resources are typically much less expensive than scholarly resources. For this reason, they can be found in places you are more likely to frequent in your every day life, like the grocery store. You may even have a subscription to some popular resources. The library usually collects popular information as well. Popular information may or may not be edited, but this is not the same as the peer review process.