Research Help

For assistance with your research ask a librarian.

Research Guides

Developing a Research Topic
Follow these steps to develop your topic and a research strategy.  For additional information, consult the library's guide to developing a research topic.

Choosing Keywords
Tips to identify keywords to describe your topic.

Basic Search Techniques
Learn about author, title, subject, and keyword searching.

Advanced Search Techniques:

• Using Boolean operators
• Using truncation and wildcards
• More advanced search techniques

Understanding Citations
How to decipher and create your own citations.

Understanding Plagiarism
Brief information about plagiarism and how to avoid it.

Understanding Annotations:

• What is an annotation?
• Guide to creating annotations
  

Help with evaluating sources

Evaluating Web Sites
Help with evaluating the quality and reliability of web sites.

Primary Sources and Secondary Sources
These two pages will explain the differences between primary and secondary sources.

Where are the best places to search for the information I need?

• Library Catalog - search for items that the library owns or has access to
• Databases - search for scholarly and academic-related information for your research and coursework.
• Search Engines - search for websites, images, etc. on the Internet.  Use this guide to help you evaluate what you find.

Scholarly and Popular Sources
How to tell the difference between scholarly journals and popular magazines