Doing Library Research 

Getting started

When you are assigned a research paper or project, you may feel a little overwhelmed. There is so much information, and so little time! How do you go about finding just the information you need? Experienced researchers follow a process called a "search strategy." The search strategy outlined below will work for many research projects. However, not all of the details of this guide will pertain to all topics or research problems.

Start your research as early as possible. The extra lead time will allow you to take full advantage of the services offered by the library, including specialized reference assistance and document delivery of items not available in the Helmke Library.

Getting help

Remember the first rule of using a library: Help is Always Available! Ask at the Service Desk for assistance or for an appointment with a subject specialist.

We have prepared a handy Foraging for Information Worksheet (PDF) to help you think about search strategy and actually map out your search. Use it online by typing your notes to the spaces provided on the worksheet, or print it and write in your notes by hand.

Choosing your research topic or problem

The first step of a search strategy is to choose a problem to investigate. In some cases you may have been assigned a list of topics from which to choose. If you are responsible for selecting your own research topic, here are some general suggestions:

• Find a topic that interests you and that you can make interesting to your reader.
• Limit yourself to an aspect of the topic that you can adequately research and write in the time allotted. Avoid broad generalities or narrow specialties.
• Choose a topic that can be researched in IPFW's Helmke Library. You must be able to find the information that will support your ideas. By and large, the library does not collect materials that are not directly related to the curriculum.

If you need help with topic ideas, consult CQ Researcher (CQ Press) (also Reference Indexes H35 .E353), Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center (Thomson-Gale) or Editorials on File (Service Desk D839 .E3). These online and printed resources all cover a wide array of current issues of interest and should stimulate your thinking.

Gaining an overview of your topic or problem

It is easier to narrow your scope to an interesting and manageable paper after you have checked into the background or review of literature on the subject.

One of the best places to get started is an encyclopedia, handbook, or textbook. These tools will provide an overview of your topic and give you hints on ways to limit it. While you are using the encyclopedia, look for an outline at the beginning of the article or the bold-face print and captions within the article. Be sure to note any special terminology, people's names, or events that might be useful in searching for information in other sources.

Most encyclopedias and textbooks also give you a selected bibliography of important books and articles at the end of each major article. This bibliography will almost always list the key sources on the topic and will help identify the authorities on your topic. See especially the bibliographic essays signed by experts at the end of long articles in the Macropaedia section of the New Encyclopaedia Britannica (REF AE5 .E363 1993, shelved in Ready Reference).

In addition to general encyclopedias, the library owns many subject or specialized encyclopedias. To find them, try a Keyword search in IUCAT Catalog (Indiana University's online library catalog). Type the search statement: bioethics and encyclop$ and click the Keywords Anywhere button to find the Encyclopedia of Bioethics, for example. By typing encyclop$ with the truncation symbol $, you will find variant spellings, including encyclopedia, encyclopaedia, encyclopedias, etc.

Developing your topic or problem

After you have done some background reading, you should have some thoughts about how the topic can be developed. You may want to:

• Examine a problem or conflict
• Compare and contrast two ideas or individuals
• Consider the causes or effects, or the trends or influences on your topic
• Describe a situation, person, corporation, or event
• Persuade your reader

While you determine how to develop your topic, you should also be considering whether your topic is too narrow or too broad to handle. Most people need to restrict their topic to more manageable proportions. Topics can be limited in several ways:

• Time: Concentrate on the 1970s (instead of the 20th century)
• Place: Focus on Iran (instead of the Middle East)
• Discipline: Take an anthropological, psychological, or economic view of your subject
• Specific Event: Examine Woodstock (instead of rock concerts)
• Specific Person (or Group or Work): Focus on Eleanor Roosevelt (instead of First Ladies)

Keep in mind that you can also limit your topic too much, setting unrealistic, "needle-in-the-haystack" search constraints.

Preparing your thesis statement

Once you have selected a topic and determined how you are going to develop it, you should be ready to write your thesis statement, a one- or two-sentence summary that indicates what you intend to do or argue. In your research, you will be collecting evidence to defend, clarify, or develop your thesis statement.

Compiling your working bibliography

A working bibliography is a list of sources that look as though they may be useful. Only those you actually use need to be listed at the end of your paper. The core of your working bibliography could be the list of books and other materials you found in the general or subject encyclopedias.

In compiling your working bibliography, put each bibliographic reference on a separate note card. This record keeping will allow you to easily rearrange the cards in alphabetical or other order and to add or subtract references as you go. Also, on each note card indicate the source of your reference, whether came from a specific book or article, from a database or index, or from the online library catalog. These details will help you considerably if you need to check a reference later.

Using basic library resources

Books

Use IUCAT Catalog (Indiana University's online library catalog), to find books in the library's collections. The default keyword search from on-campus computers is set to find materials in Fort Wayne Helmke Library only, or you can change the library location to ALL to search all the libraries in the IU system.

Helmke Library's How Do I Use IUCAT Guides page provides links to a self-paced interactive tutorial, a pair of quizzes, and additional helpful guides that will increase your skills in finding books and other library materials in IUCAT.

Keep in mind that general books on a subject may have pertinent chapters or sections on your topic. Check the back-of-the-book index for relevant entries. You may also find other books on your topic through serendipity (a legitimate search strategy!) by browsing the books located on the shelves nearby.

The online library catalog will also show whether there are any printed book-length bibliographies on your topic. These can save you a lot of time when you are compiling a working bibliography.

Books not available at IPFW Helmke Library may be requested through the library's Document Delivery Service.

Periodicals

Periodicals (also called serials, magazines, or journals) are usually the first place that scholars or scientists report new research findings, theories, or discoveries. They are therefore essential for research on very current topics or problems, especially in the sciences. Also, articles in periodicals are useful to update information found in books. Periodical articles generally deal with much more narrowly focused, current topics than do books.

To find useful periodical articles, consult one or more periodical indexes. Most of the library's databases and indexes are now available on the Web or on CD-ROM. For a comprehensive listing and instructions on how to access these resources, see the library's Find Resources By... page.

Once you have selected a number of periodical articles to read, you are ready to locate the periodicals in the library. To find out if IPFW library owns what you need, type the title of the periodical in IUCAT Catalog (Indiana University's online library catalog). Note that IUCAT contains only periodical titles, never the titles of articles. Choose a Browse search and type the title: review of educational research, for example, ignoring initial articles: a, the, la, das, etc. Select Title or Periodical Title to begin your search. The default library location from on-campus computers is Fort Wayne Helmke Library. Choose the matching title from the Search Results list to see if FORTWAYNE owns the volume and year you need. Note the call number and library shelving location.

Newspapers and News Digests

Newspaper articles are frequently the best sources for recent developments on topics of current interest or for contemporary accounts of past events. Some of the country's major newspapers are indexed in databases such as Academic Search Premier (EBSCOhost). Instead, they have their own special indexes. See the library guide to finding information on Current Events for a discussion of newspaper indexes and news digests.

Government Publications

The U.S. government supports a wide range of research activities and is a major collector of information and data used by citizens, researchers, and policy makers. Congress itself investigates an incredible number of issues and topics each year from abused children to nuclear power. Expert witnesses present to Congressional committees much information that is not published or available elsewhere. Most U.S. documents in this library are included in IUCAT, the online catalog.

In addition to the federal government, states and local governments issue research reports, consumer publications, statistics, and other information on a wide variety of topics. Use IUCAT or Index to Current Urban Documents (Reference Z7165 .U5 I654, current years on index tables)

See PIRS, the Public Information Reference Service for Internet resources from the U.S. government and other agencies.

Facts and Statistics

Statistical information may be useful to your argument. You may also want to verify statistics you see elsewhere. See the library guide to Statistical Sources.

People

Sometimes the best way to find the information you need is to ask someone who knows about the topic. Instructors, librarians, and heads of organizations or government agencies are all possible authorities to consult. Newspapers are a good place to ascertain names of local authorities. Interviews with these people can supplement the information you find elsewhere. The library has prepared a Fort Wayne Newspaper Index that you may find helpful.

Biographical Data

Whether you want a full-scale biography with references to further information, or just a few facts about someone, there is probably a biographical source to provide the answer. Ask about the Biography and Genealogy Master Index (Thomson-Gale) or check the biography section of the library's Find Resources By... page.

Book Reviews

When you are assigned a book to evaluate, it often helps to read how others have evaluated it. Use the library guide to Reviewing Non-Fiction Books for hints on what to include in your review.

Putting it all together

As you write your paper, keep track of the sources you actually use. Your instructor may tell you what format to use for footnotes and your bibliography. There are several style guides on reserve at the Service Desk (also see the longer list of Style Guides). Keep in mind that the reason you prepare a bibliography and/or footnotes is to give credit to someone else's ideas or research. You should give your reader enough information to be able to find the resource again.