ENG213

Library Research

Fall 2007

OBJECTIVES: By the end of this session in the Library, you should know how to:

1) Select a topic that is appropriate for conducting research.

2) Brainstorm possible search terms/synonyms.

3) Use library tools (e.g., SUMMIT Library Catalog) and reference sources to conduct preliminary "testing" of a topic (i.e., determine if sufficient resources exist on the topic).

4) Understand how to broaden or narrow a research topic in order to yield the best results.

5) Identify and search databases helpful for locating articles in scholarly journals.

6) Interpret the citation information displayed on search results lists.

7) Become familiar with options for locating full-text articles and other items.

8) Identify options for receiving additional research assistance.

1) Select a topic that is appropriate for conducting research.

2) Brainstorm possible search terms/synonyms.

As your professor has indicated, you will want to choose a research question that examines the relationship between two ideas (e.g., "Is societal pressure to be thin to blame for eating disorders?").

Different words are often used to describe a particular concept.  You might:

• create a list of synonyms or related terms (e.g., thin, slim, skinny, slender)
• use alternate endings (e.g., obese, obesity)
• consult an encyclopedia, dictionary, or thesaurus (e.g., Food and fitness : a dictionary of diet and exercise available through the Oxford Reference Online database)

 

3) Use library tools (e.g., SUMMIT Library Catalog) and reference sources to conduct preliminary "testing" of a topic (i.e., determine if sufficient resources exist on the topic).

4) Understand how to broaden or narrow a research topic in order to yield the best results.

Not all topics may have sufficient resources to support your research.  For example, "The average Syracuse University coed is 10 pounds overweight because of eating too much fast food" would NOT be a topic that you would find specific data to support.

Sometimes broadening or narrowing your topic will lead to success.  The example above might be broadened to "A significant factor in the higher obesity levels of Americans is the increased consumption of high caloric fast food".

5) Identify and search databases helpful for locating articles in scholarly journals.

To find articles on a topic, use a database. If you'd like to know more about periodicals (e.g., what they are, what different kinds there are), see Finding and Assessing Periodicals.

 

For both popular and scholarly articles, you can try a general/interdisciplinary database like:
Academic OneFile
Proquest Research Library

 

For scholarly articles, use a database that covers the subject of your research topic.  For example, for topics relating to women, you would looks at databases listed in the Women's Studies section of our Databases Menu.


For pro/con discussions relevant to some research topics, try CQ Researcher.

 

For newspaper articles, try:
LexisNexis Academic
Alt-Press Watch
Ethnic Newswatch

 

Hints:

• go to Advanced Search
• use Subject Terms or Descriptors to get more precise results
• limit your search (e.g., by date, by Journal Articles only, by English only )

 

6) Interpret the citation information displayed on search results lists.

The citation information includes:

author

title

title of journal (if the item is an article within a journal)

title of book (if the item is a chapter within a book)

date of publication (for a book) or date of the journal issue (for an article)

place of publication (for a book)

volume (for an article)

issue (for an article)

pages (for an article or a chapter within a book)

 

Be sure to record the full citation information for any resource you will be using for your research paper.

 

7) Become familiar with options for locating full-text articles and other items.

• look for a link to the full text
• use the SULinks icon if available (incorporates searching the e-journals list and searching the SUMMIT catalog)
• if no SULinks icon, use the e-journals list; if not successful, try the SUMMIT Catalog doing a "journal title" search for the title of the journal
• for articles we don't have, ILLiad, our interlibrary loan system, is an option

 

8) Identify options for receiving additional research assistance.

Contact our Reference Services & Research Assistance

9/19/07