Two Harbors
From PhillipsWiki
- What are you being asked to do?
- Are you fact finding? Persuading? Problem solving? Analyzing information?
- What should your final product look like? Is it a research paper? A power point? A presentation?
- Knowing where you're going makes it easier to get started!!
Contents |
Choose and Explore your Topic
Choosing a topic for research is the first, most difficult, and most important step in the research process. The secret is simple:
Choose a subject that interests you, something that you need to know something about. If you are going to live with this topic for awhile, it needs to pass the "so what?" test.
Read more about choosing a topic.
Get an overview with Reference Sources
Gaining an overview is an important first step in the research process. Starting with a general reference source helps provide the background a researcher needs to focus and define the topic area.
Usually, the best place to begin is the Garver Room (silent study room). Here you will find many general as well as subject-specific reference sources that will assist you in the beginning steps of research.
Read more about gaining an overview of your topic.
Search the library catalog for reference books.
Narrow your Topic
Not all topics are created equal. Once you have obtained an overview and identified a possible focus, it is necessary to determine whether the topic is "researchable."
Back in the "olden days" whether a topic was researchable depended primarily on the likely sufficiency of the available print-based resources on the topic. Today, with the proliferation of electronic information, almost all topics can be supported. The problem now is not too little information, but rather, too much!
If you find your topic to be too broad, ask yourself the following questions:
- Is there a specific time period or place I could focus on?
- Is there an important person or event that I find particularly interesting?
Still having trouble? Stop by the help desk and ask a librarian!
Read more about narrowing your topic.
Delve Deeper with Books
After getting an overview with reference sources, it is time to start searching the online catalog for books that focus more specifically on the topic you have chosen.
Search the online catalog.
Read more about Using Circulating Books.
Find Articles in Electronic Databases
The list below does not include all of the databases that we have. To see a complete list, visit the A-Z Database page.
| Academic OneFile | Academic OneFile includes peer-reviewed, full-text articles from the world's leading journals and reference sources. Extensive coverage of topics in the physical sciences, technology, medicine, social sciences, the arts, theology, literature is given. |
| Academic Search Elite | Academic Search Elite offers full text for more than 2,000 journals, including more than 1,500 peer-reviewed titles. This multi-disciplinary database covers virtually every area of academic study. |
| Daily Life Online | ON CAMPUS ACCESS ONLY (temporary). There's more to history and contemporary events than just the names of rulers and the rise of economic systems; Daily Life Online allows you to to explore how others lived and live their lives, and how their lives shaped ours. |
| Expanded Academic ASAP | From arts and the humanities to social sciences, science and technology, this database meets research needs across all academic disciplines. Access scholarly journals, news magazines, and newspapers - many with full text and images! Coverage dates back to 1980. |
| JSTOR | The JSTOR Archive holds the complete digitized back runs of core scholarly journals, starting with the very first issues, some dating as far back as the 1600s. New titles and disciplines are being added regularly. |
| Literary Reference Center | Username: s8832860 Password: trial Literary Reference Center is a comprehensive literary reference database, which includes a broad spectrum of reference information from antiquity to the present day. It is a completely full-text database that combines information from over 1,000 books and monographs, major literary encyclopedias and reference works, and hundreds of literary journals. It also contains detailed information on the most studied authors and their works. |
| Literature Online (LION) | A databases containing 350,000 works of English and American poetry, drama and prose, 168 full-text literature journals, and other key criticism and reference resources. |
| Project Muse | Project MUSE provides full-text, user-friendly online access to over 300 high quality humanities, arts, and social sciences journals from 60 scholarly publishers. |
| New York Times Archive | Full text of ALL New York Times articles from 1851 to the present. |
| Readers' Guide Retrospective | Readers' Guide Retrospective is the electronic version of Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature. This database contains comprehensive indexing of the most popular general-interest periodicals published in the United States and reflects the history of 20th century America. Current coverage for this database includes the years 1890 through 1982. This database is not full text. |
Citation and Plagiarism
For this assignment, you will be required to cite your sources. For help with this, see the Citing Sources page in the wiki, pick up a citation guide from the reference desk, or ask a librarian for help!
Remember, you not only have to cite direct quotes, but also text that you paraphrase. Anything you write that is not an original thought must be properly cited! Read the OWHL plagiarism guide for more information.
Contact Info
Having trouble finding that perfect source? Having trouble finding ANY sources? Please come in to see me! I am in the library every day during the week and Wednesday nights until sign in.
Email me at sciaburri@andover.edu to ask a question or set up a meeting. You can also call me at x4227 or simply stop by!
