02-19-2015, 09:52 AM
General Guidelines
Familiarize yourself with your topic. Be sure you are able to answer the following questions before beginning your research:
Who?
What?
Where?
When?
Why?
How?
Gather background information about your topic using reference sources.
Reference books provide important information on a topic, include specific details, and point to other useful sources of information. They point the way into the core literature of a topic contained in books, journals, reports, and many other types of publications. They can also summarize, digest, or review the literature on a topic in ways that save you time and energy.
Knowing the reference sources in your discipline can increase the efficiency of your searches by enabling you to better focus your questions.
Be sure to evaluate the kinds of sources you are using. Review your print sources and pay special attention to internet sources
Read the source carefully. Note organizational differences between tools. Not all works are comprehensive in scope.
Be creative.
Try alternative and related headings to locate the information you need. If your initial search is so broad that you have too many sources, then narrow your search. If your search brings back too few sources, then broaden the search, using more general terms.
http://researchguides.library.syr.edu/
Familiarize yourself with your topic. Be sure you are able to answer the following questions before beginning your research:
Who?
What?
Where?
When?
Why?
How?
Gather background information about your topic using reference sources.
Reference books provide important information on a topic, include specific details, and point to other useful sources of information. They point the way into the core literature of a topic contained in books, journals, reports, and many other types of publications. They can also summarize, digest, or review the literature on a topic in ways that save you time and energy.
Knowing the reference sources in your discipline can increase the efficiency of your searches by enabling you to better focus your questions.
Be sure to evaluate the kinds of sources you are using. Review your print sources and pay special attention to internet sources
Read the source carefully. Note organizational differences between tools. Not all works are comprehensive in scope.
Be creative.
Try alternative and related headings to locate the information you need. If your initial search is so broad that you have too many sources, then narrow your search. If your search brings back too few sources, then broaden the search, using more general terms.
http://researchguides.library.syr.edu/