Starting Your Library Research
Research is usually done in preparation for writing a paper or speech.
This is a process that you will repeat often in your career as a student
and as a life-long learner. Say your instructor assigns a paper. You begin
by brainstorming and reading short overviews to help focus your ideas.
Certain steps must be taken:
- identify the terms on which to build your search
- choose the appropriate materials
As you progress, you will need to refine your search and be able to use
appropriate resource tools.
What Are You Looking For?
Keywords
To begin your research you have to identify
the keywords or main
concepts of your research topic.
1. What are the 3 main concepts or keywords
in the following example? (Click in one of the circles below, then click
on the "Am I Right" button to see if your selection is correct.)
impact of tourism on Hawaii's environment
Synonyms
It may be necessary to think of synonyms or similar
words for your keywords to find more information.
2. What is a synonym or similar idea for
the word "tourism"?
Narrowing
If you find too much information on your
topic, you may need to use more specific keywords to narrow the focus.
3. What are narrower terms for the word
environment when used in
our topic?
impact of tourism on Hawaii's environment
Broadening
If
you find little information on your topic, you may need to broaden your
topic. To do this you might try selecting a topic that covers several
subjects besides your own. For example, industry
is a broader subject than tourism;
industry also includes sugarcane,
the military, etc.
4. How would you broaden the
search for information on our topic?
impact of tourism on Hawaii's environment
What Kinds of Sources
Should You Use?
| Does your
topic cover recent events? |
 |
Then newspapers, magazines,
or journals are the best sources. |
| Do you need current, general information? |
|
Try a popular magazine. |
| Do you need current, in depth information? |
|
Try a scholarly journal. |
| Do you need an overview? |
|
Try a reference book, like an encyclopedia. |
| Do you need something more detailed? |
|
Try a book on the subject |
|
The following table explains the differences
between the types of materials in the library. Whenever you search for
information you will have to decide which materials are the most appropriate
for your topic.
| Material |
Examples |
Characteristics |
Audience |
| Books |
Louisa
May Alcott: Life, Letters, and Journals
Anatomy of Prejudices
Captain Cook's Final Voyage
Power and Money
|
A bound volume
which covers a single subject or a phase of a subject or groups of
related subjects |
General readers,
non-expert, scholars, researchers |
| Reference
Books |
Encyclopedia
Britannica
Webster's Third New International
Dictionary
Statistical Abstracts of the United
States
Hawaii State Data Book
|
Handy information
such as statistics, current, large range of subjects |
General reader,
scholars, researchers |
| Journals |
Marine
Environmental Research
Critical Care Nurse
Current Practices in Geotechnical
Engineering
Journal of Educational Research
|
Reports on
original research or experiments on a specific subject. Cites sources,
few advertisements. Monthly coverage or longer |
Scholars,
researchers |
| Magazines |
Time
Science News
Business Week
Surfer
|
General interest
topics, broad subjects, leisurely reading, glossy paper, photos and
ads. Weekly/monthly coverage |
General reader,
non-experts |
| Newspapers |
New York
Times
Honolulu Advertiser
Wall Street Journal
Maui News
|
Daily news
with local, national, world coverage, general interest topics, advertisements |
General reader,
non-expert |
Currency
When information is published, or made available, is usually an important
factor when evaluating its usefulness. Currency
refers to how up-to-date the information is.
Coverage
The kind of information you are seeking will determine which information
source is most appropriate. At various stages in your research, you will
need to choose which type of source is best based on what it covers,
the scope of the source and its content.
|
