The following seven steps
outline a simple and effective strategy for finding information for a research
paper and documenting the sources you find. Depending on your topic and your
familiarity with the library, you may need to rearrange or recycle these steps.
Adapt this outline to your needs.
STEP 1: IDENTIFY AND
DEVELOP YOUR TOPIC.
SUMMARY: State your
topic as a question. For example, if you are interested in finding out about
use of alcoholic beverages by college students, you might pose the question,
"What effect does use of alcoholic beverages have on the health of college
students?" Identify the main concepts or keywords in your question.
More details
on how to identify and develop your topic.
STEP 2: FIND
BACKGROUND INFORMATION.
SUMMARY: Look up
your keywords in the indexes to subject encyclopedias. Read articles in these
encyclopedias to set the context for your research. Note any relevant items in
the bibliographies at the end of the encyclopedia articles. Additional
background information may be found in your lecture notes, textbooks, and
reserve readings.
More suggestions
on how to find background information.
STEP 3: USE CATALOGS
TO FIND BOOKS.
SUMMARY: Use
keyword searching for a narrow or complex search topic. Use subject searching
for a broad subject. Print or write down the citation (author, title,etc.) and
the location information (call number and library). Note the circulation
status. When you pull the book from the shelf, scan the bibliography for
additional sources. Watch for book-length bibliographies and annual reviews on
your subject; they list citations to hundreds of books and articles in one
subject area. Check the standard subject subheading
"--BIBLIOGRAPHIES," or titles beginning with Annual Review of... in
the Cornell Library Catalog.
More detailed
instructions for using catalogs to find books.
STEP 4: USE
INDEXES TO FIND PERIODICAL ARTICLES
SUMMARY: Use
periodical indexes and abstracts to find citations to articles. The indexes and
abstracts may be in print or computer-based formats or both. Choose the indexes
and format best suited to your particular topic; ask at the reference desk if
you need help figuring out which index and format will be best. You can find
periodical articles by the article author or title by using the periodical
indexes in the Cornell Library Catalog. When you have recorded or printed out
the citation from the index, locate the library that owns the periodical you
want by looking up the title of the periodical in the Cornell Library Catalog.
For the periodical indexes directly linked to the Cornell Library Catalog, you
can locate the periodical by entering HOL on the command line. The full text of
some periodical articles is now available from indexes like Periodical
Abstracts/ABI Inform.
STEP 5A: FIND
INTERNET RESOURCES
SUMMARY: Use search engines and
subject
directories to locate materials on the Web. Check to see if your class has
an bibliography
or research guide created by librarians.
Links for
learning how to find information on the Internet.
STEP 5B: FIND AUDIO
AND VIDEO RESOURCES
STEP 6: EVALUATE WHAT YOU FIND
SUMMARY: See How to
Critically Analyze Information Sources and Distinguishing
Scholarly from Non-Scholarly Periodicals: A Checklist of Criteria for
suggestions on evaluating the authority and quality of the books and articles
you located. If you have found too many or too few sources, you may need to
narrow or broaden your topic. Check with a reference librarian or your
instructor.
When you're ready
to write, here is an
annotated list of books to help you organize, format, and write your paper.
STEP 7: CITE WHAT YOU FIND USING A STANDARD FORMAT
Give credit where
credit is due. Cite your sources using one of the styles listed below or
another style approved by your instructor. Handouts summarizing the APA and
MLA styles are available at Uris and Olin Reference.
Networked
guides:
Book guides:
Revised 19 February 2001
Michael Engle,
moe1@cornell.edu
Division of Reference Services, Olin*Kroch*Uris Libraries
Cornell University Library
URL: http://www.library.cornell.edu/okuref/research/skill1.htm