图书馆-研究

搜索 for Articles from Journals, Newspapers, Magazines

搜索电子书

Reference Resource

Primary Source Resources

Automotive Resources

搜索 for Books, DVDs, and More

 

How to do 图书馆 Research

Have you just been assigned a research paper and not know where to start? 或者 it's been a while since you've been in the library doing research? 这里有一些 pointers on how to approach library research for papers and projects that will help you to get the grade that you want. 

选择主题

If you haven't been assigned a topic or don't already have one in mind, you will need 选择一个. Some good places to look for ideas are:

  • Ask your librarian for assistance
  • Course syllabus and textbooks
  • Reference books and databases in the subject area: encyclopedias, atlases, etc.  

找书

Once you've selected a topic, you'll want to see what kinds of books are available 在图书馆. 检查 ACC 图书馆 Catalog as part of your strategy. Additionally, books can be obtained from many other Texas libraries by using a TexShare 卡. The 卡, and an information flyer, are both available at ACC library desk.

Looking for Magazine, Journal, and Newspaper Articles

Even if you've found several good books on your topic, you may want to supplement them with more recent information from magazines, newspapers and journals. 你的第一个 step is to consult our Librarians in order to find database articles on your topic. The ACC 图书馆 provides access to many different databases through the TexShare Databases and Credo Reference Collection. In these databases, you can enter search terms and retrieve a list of references to articles concerning that topic. Often times you will be able to pull up the entire text of the article.

Evaluating Information, Narrowing or Expanding the Topic as needed

As you find information, you should be evaluating its quality by applying the critical thinking techniques we have on this page. Is the author an authority? 是出版商吗? of the book or magazine reputable? Do the authors cite what resources they used to prepare the information? Is the material out-of-date? Is it factual or opinion?

As you get further into your research, you may discover that there's either too much or not enough information about your topic. If there's too much, try limiting your search results through changes time frame, sources or other criteria. 浏览 books on the subject or scanning article titles from an index to focus in on one aspect of the broader topic can also be quite useful. If you have too little information, try expanding the results by opening the time frame, changing the resources and using 不同的关键字. Using synonyms for your original search terms can also have a positive impact on the search results. Generalizing the topic will result in finding more information. Limiting your topic will result in less information.

Using Internet 搜索 Engines

Internet search engines can also be quite useful for getting a good idea of what is 在那里. The Internet provides a wealth of information, including fact sheets, statistics, and full-text electronic journals on a wide variety of topics. Of course, you need to evaluate the quality of information found just as you would when using books and periodical articles.