Research Steps: 1) Choose and develop your topic 2) Find background and overviews ( Finding Books : reference & circulating books) 3) Find current information ( Finding Articles ; Research Guides links) 4) Put it all together! (cite your sources in MLA format)

1) Choose and develop your topic

2) Find background and overviews

( Finding Books : reference & circulating books)

3) Find current information

( Finding Articles ; Research Guides links)

4) Put it all together!

(cite your sources in MLA format)

Article databases: searchable list of full-text journal articles articles written by experts are paid-subscription Web sites (no ads) 75 databases on ACC Library Web page use more sophisticated search techniques…

searchable list of full-text journal articles

articles written by experts

are paid-subscription Web sites (no ads)

75 databases on ACC Library Web page

use more sophisticated search techniques…

1) Use the right-sized words: To find: Search: Use: Books online catalog (60,000 books ) big ideas: Literary criticism Frost, Robert Articles article databases (millions of articles) specific ideas - Frost, Robert and poetry and criticism

To find: Search: Use:

big ideas:

Literary criticism

Frost, Robert

2) Keywords & subject headings: 1) Use keywords you think may work (i.e., guess!) ( Robert Frost) 2) Find best citations in your results 3) Click on the subject headings ( Frost, Robert ) 4) Your new results are on-target!

1) Use keywords you think may work (i.e., guess!)

( Robert Frost)

2) Find best citations in your results

3) Click on the subject headings

( Frost, Robert )

4) Your new results are on-target!

3) Boolean logic: Named after English mathematician George Boole (1815-1864). The most common Boolean search uses “ and ” Overlap two or more ideas Frost, Robert and criticism

Named after English mathematician George Boole (1815-1864).

The most common Boolean search uses “ and ”

Overlap two or more ideas

Frost, Robert and criticism

4) Truncation (wildcards): Wildcard symbol finds all word endings. Asterisk ( * ) is most common wildcard For books and articles (not search engines: Google) critic* retrieves… criticism critics poem* retrieves… poem poems Frost, Robert and natur*

Wildcard symbol finds all word endings.

Asterisk ( * ) is most common wildcard

For books and articles (not search engines: Google)