Top tips for library research

TOP TIPS FOR LIBRARY RESEARCH

JOUR 2310 Fashion, Media, and Culture

1. RESEARCH GUIDES

Find recommended sources

2. START WITH SOURCES

What information type fits your need?◦Background information (definitions, important people and events)◦Encyclopedias (ex. Literati)◦Specialized encyclopedias (ex. Star struck: an encyclopedia of celebrity

culture)◦Newspapers◦Books

◦Analysis◦Scholarly articles (very specific)◦Books of essays

◦Evidence◦Primary sources◦Data, statistics◦Original research

What information tool fits that type?◦Internet◦Databases◦Newspapers◦ Journal articles◦Magazine articles◦ Images◦Statistics

◦Book catalog

A word about Discover SMU

3. DATABASES, NOT JUST FOR

ARTICLES…

Find a database by subject

Recommended databases on guides

4. A BOOK COULD BE YOUR BEST BET

Complete coverage of a topic

5. SUBJECTS FOR POWER SEARCHES

How does subject searching work?◦How does a database pull results based on what you type in the box?

◦ Words are matched to any terms appearing in the text◦What are the problems with keyword searches?

◦ Trash results◦ Need to search with different ways of saying the same thing◦ Need to come up with terms on your own

◦How are subjects more powerful?◦ Applied by a human◦ No synonym problem◦ More relevant results◦ Can browse a list of terms

Subject searches work in databasesand the book catalog

6. FIND ONE SOURCE, AND

THEN FIND MORE

Citation tracing

Subject tracing

7. BORROW FROM OTHER LIBRARIES

Intralibrary loan for articles

Books, too…

8. ASK FOR HELP

For help with any research needs