Introduction to Library Research for Snow College students

Introduction to Library Research

@ J. Willard Marriott LibraryUniversity of Utah

Contact Me!Jessica Breimanjessica.breiman@utah.edu801-585-3073Multimedia Archives, Special CollectionsLevel 4, Marriott Library (west side of floor)

Contact a Librarian!

Today

UALCTypes of information and the Research ProcessUSearch (library catalog) and faceting searchesDatabases tips and tricks

JSTOREbscohost databases

campusguides.lib.utah.edu/history

Navigate to Hist 2700 tab

Follow along online!

Types of SourcesSocial mediaPersonal blogsOrganizational blogs

(NYT blogs)Websites Newspapers (print & online)Magazines (print & online)Journals (print & online)Books (print & online)

Scholarly vs. Popular

Primary vs. Secondary

Use them wisely!!!

Scholarly MaterialsScholarly articles are reviewed by other scholars in the field before publication

is approved. Scholarly reviewers examine each paper for:

Basing research on the findings of earlier, published, scholarly works

Designing research and analyzing results in a correct/reasonable manner

Basing conclusions on the evidence provided by the author's experiment

results

For most academic papers, scholarly articles are excellent resources and the

preferred sources for supporting your arguments. Remember to look for author affiliations/current employment!

There is a place for every kind of information source...

But it’s up to you to decide when, where, and how to use them!

USE THEM WISELY

The Invisible Web!

Research Tips

Remember….

Research is an iterative process; if one search strategy doesn’t work, try another OR go back to think about reformulating your research question.

General Research TipsBrainstorm keywords for your topicGather background info using general

reference sourcesPut quotes around phrases e.g. “Hurricane

Katrina”Look at your assignment; what kind of

sources is your instructor asking for?Keep track of your sources!

Tracking Your SourcesFirst check what citation style you needFree tools: ZoteroTake photo of title page of books, citation

page of articles, keep track in your smartphone

Use a simple Google doc or Word docRemember to do it AS YOU GO

campusguides.lib.utah.edu/zotero

USearch: lib.utah.edu

Facets

Subject headings

Use the catalog to locate a book that is relevant to your research topic.

Then go out into the collection, find the book, and bring it back here.

Your turn!

Tips for Searching JSTORGo straight to ‘Advanced Search’‘Narrow by item type’Use ‘Journal Filter’ option, but still think

broadlyLook for the ‘Tools’ section to save and citeUse the ‘Find It’ button to see if the library has

the full-text of an item

Subject headings

Ebscohost Databases TipsSearches a broad range of databasesUse “Academic Search Premier” and/or others

based on your topicMake sure “Peer Reviewed” is checkedLook for “View It” or “SFX” buttonExperiment with subject headings

Final Notes: Database Searching Check box that says ‘Peer Reviewed’ or ‘Scholarly’Play around with search terms; look for relevant

subject headings. Play with other search limiters. Put quotes around phrasesLook for attached PDF and HTML pages Use the ‘Find It’ button to see if your library has an

itemLook for a ‘Cite’ button

www.snow.edu/library

campusguides.lib.utah.edu/history

Navigate to Hist 2700 Quiz tab

Quiz Time!

Thanks for Listening!