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Finding and Using Information for Research Projects

This self-paced tutorial guides users through the process of finding and using information for research projects. It is general enough to apply to most disciplines.

Searching for Sources

Searching for Sources

This section of the tutorial provides tips on searching library databases for information sources needed in your research. This includes strategies to focus your search and identify the most relevant sources in the results. We are focusing on using library databases, but many of the strategies can be applied to other scenarios.

Learn about specific terms used in this tutorial on the Definition of Terms page.

Finding sources through the Library

The content provided by SLCC Libraries is always freely available to SLCC students! Other benefits to using the Libraries' databases to find sources include:

  • Well-organized information, making the research process more efficient;
  • Advanced options, tools, and filters for searching;
  • Preparation for more advanced levels of academic research; and
  • Built-in citation generators.

Finding sources on the open web

Of course, you can always find sources on the open web. Depending on what you would like to find, such as local information or an organization's website, this is a better option than a database. Benefits to using the open web to find sources include:

  • Already being familiar with various search engines;
  • Fast and convenient searching; and
  • Ability to find a wide variety of popular sources, including social media posts, websites, and more.

The context of why you need information is important when deciding where to look! A librarian can help you figure this out.

Select a Library Database

Some researchers like to start big and explore sources from many different disciplines and source types in a single place. To do this, use Summon (main search box on library website).

Some researchers prefer a more focused set of content when they start out, especially if they’ve already done some solid background research. Find subject-specific databases using Research Guides. A librarian can make recommendations for you if you get stuck on this step.

Select your Keywords

Think about your topic, and identify the most important terms or keywords to use to search it! Sometimes keywords will reflect a population, a problem, a possible solution, etc.

Search this: lung cancer smoking teen

...not this: What is the relationship between developing lung cancer and smoking while a teenager?

Quick Check

What are the best keyword options for the research question, "What is the impact of sleep on college students grades?"

Database Search Options

Once you’ve selected your database, you can use the following strategies to refine your results:

  • Apply limiters to limit date of publication, format (journal articles, books, films/videos, news articles…), language, and more
  • Skim the subject and abstract parts of the record for similar or identical terms to increase your results while keeping them relevant

Note: All of the options listed above are available in OneSearch and all EBSCO products, but may not be available in other databases.

Find a Reasonable Number of Results

It’s impossible to say what the “right” number of results should look like- this varies based on which database is being used, what the topic is, which keywords are being used, etc. Because you’ve already done some background research while you developed your research focus, you should have a sense of how much content is out there. If you saw only 30 results for a search about ‘social media marketing’, that would seem a bit low, right? Here are a few strategies if you feel like you have way too many results for your topic, or if you think you might be missing some.

Things to try if you feel like there are too many search results include:

  • Add a second concept to your search (more terms equals fewer results, i.e. climate change --> climate change polar bears, 3.8 million results down to 66 thousand results)
  • Apply limiters (Does publication date matter? Are you looking for academic journals only? etc.)
  • Search for your keywords in the title, abstract, and/or subject fields only (access through Advanced Search in many databases)

Things to try if you feel like there are too few search results include:

  • Remove a concept or keyword from your search (i.e. social media cancer patients teenagers utah → social media cancer patients teenagers… in this case we removed the location to see if that would help locate more sources)
  • Try another term (i.e. teenager vs. teenagers vs. teen vs. teens vs. adolescent vs. adolescents vs. adolescence… these words are often used to represent the same idea, so try some of the variations to see if that retrieves more or different results for you)
  • Remove limiters (check to see you don’t have any limiters turned on that might be limiting your search unreasonably)
 
Please contact a librarian if you have any questions or would like advice on crafting a search for your topic! Videos and handouts to help you with these strategies are available on our Research Tutorials page if you'd like more information.

Searching the Internet

Internet search engines (i.e. Google or Duck Duck Go) can be valuable tools in your research process. Be strategic about your searching and always evaluation your information critically. A few internet search tips to get you started:

  • Add .gov to your search to find government resources on your topic (i.e. air pollution .gov)
  • Look for professional organizations or associations by adding .org or the word "organization" or "association" to find groups related to your topic (i.e. air pollution .org)
  • Put phrases in quotation marks (i.e. "air pollution")
  • Add a location or person's name if appropriate (i.e. air pollution Utah .org)

Quick Check

You start your search with the terms climate change and get over 2 million results.

Which of the following options would give you fewer results?