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The Research ProcessGetting the Information You Need
A Research Strategy…
• Is the process of finding information in a logical, step-by-step manner.
• Ensures that you will find the information you need quickly and efficiently.
• Makes more sense than aimlessly browsing the Internet for information.
How do you find your information?
There is a better way!
Steps in the Research Process
1. Get a grasp on the topic2. Get a grasp…with more credible resources3. Find a comprehensive overview of your
topic4. Identify current research and specific issues
on the topic (with articles)5. Find primary resources for a firsthand look
at the topic6. Manage the information you find7. Ask for help if you need it
Answer these questions:
• What do you need the information for?
• What kinds of information do you need?
• What is the thesis that you are trying to prove/disprove?
• How much time do you have?
Get a grasp on the topic
Go ahead and use Google to get a basic understanding of the topic!
But remember this…
• A tremendous amount of useful information is not free; it is proprietary.
• Not all information is digitized• Evaluate, evaluate, evaluate through
the entire research process– Ask yourself “Have I found the most
authoritative, accurate, objective, up-to-date, scholarly information available?”
Get a grasp…with morecredible resources
• Cornell research guides
• Reference databases
• Subject encyclopedias
• Dictionaries• Handbooks• Guides
Tip: Subject encyclopedias are GREAT if you are writing a short paper or do not have a
lot of time.
Why Subject Encyclopedias?
• They provide a concise overview of the topic in a few pages of information.
• They are written by premiere academics in the field (read: scholarly research).
• They almost always have a bibliography of GREAT resources.
Tip: To find subject encyclopedias in the library catalog, do a guided keyword search on your topic and encyclop?
dictionar? handbook? guide
Find a comprehensive overview of your topic
• Books provide depth and breadth on a subject
• Use library catalog to find books
• Save time & frustration by learning how materials are shelved
Use the library catalog to…
• Connect to our digital library – thousands of databases, e-books, e-journals, online exhibits, and other collections.
• Locate material in the physical library – 18 libraries, 7.5 million books, maps, microforms, and media.
Tips that everyone should know about the catalog:
• Your first search should be a very general keyword search
• Never use a, an, or the when searching for a title
• Always use the long view to review subject headings
• If a record says “networked resource”, it is available online
• Always pay attention to the call numbers and note whether the material is shelved in the regular, oversized (+), or double oversized section (++)
Do not forget these services!
• Use Requests in the catalog to hold, recall, request from the annex, and library-to-library book delivery.
• Interlibrary Loan can get material that is checked out or Cornell does not own from other libraries.
• Borrow Direct is a reciprocal borrowing program among the Ivies. If Cornell’s copy is unavailable, you can borrow it from another Ivy. It’s fast – usually only a few days!
Identify current research andspecific issues on the topic
• Find articles for current research and specific issues on a topic
• Journal article citations are found through the databases that index the journals
• SOME databases offer full-text of the journals they index
Two methods for finding articles:
• Search a specific database that covers the area you are searching
• Search a number of databases at the same time using Find It!
The library subscribes to over 700 databases!
• General databases such as Proquest Research Library or Academic Search Premiere are great places to begin a general search for articles.
• Use the specialized databases for locating articles on a specific database.
Find It!
• The Find It! feature on the Library webpage allows you to perform a simple search across many databases.
• Find It! allows for simple searching in 4 general resource areas or you can select a list of subject specific databases to search.
Database Tips
• Some databases provide full-text coverage of the journal
• If the database does not, you must search the library catalog for the journal title. This will provide you with Cornell’s holdings of the journal (in both print or electronic form)
• For more precise searching, it is best to search the databases individually (rather than using Find It!)
What constitutes a primary resource?
• Primary sources are original records created at the time historical events occurred or well after the events in the form of memoirs and oral histories.
• Primary sources may include letters, manuscripts, diaries, journals, newspapers, speeches, interviews, memoirs, documents produced by government agencies, photographs, audio recordings, research data, and objects or artifacts such as works of art.
Find primary resources for afirsthand look at the topic
• Search the library catalog for the topic and correspondence interview? letter? paper?
• Search databases for interviews• Search Proquest Historical
Newspapers database for news items and books reviews at the time of publication (or advertisements)
• Do not forget the Internet (repositories for papers)
Manage the information you find
• You must properly cite your research sources• Documentation styles offer standard and
prescribed methods for citing references• Different academic disciplines use different
documentation styles. The most common are APA by the American Psychological Association and MLA by the Modern Language Association. APA is most often used in the behavioral and social sciences; MLA is widely used in the humanities
Use a Citation Management Tool!
• RefWorks is a web-based program that allows you to easily collect and organize bibliographic references and incorporates them into your paper, properly formatted according to the style of your choice.
• EndNote must be purchased; it allows you to build your own database of bibliographic references from a variety of resources.
Ask for help if you need it!
• Use Ask A Librarian -- questions in person, by phone, email or chat
• Contact the Olin & Uris reference desk at [email protected]
• Contact me at [email protected]
Wendy WilcoxLibrarian
Olin [email protected]
u
