Doing Research 

A few tips to guide your searching

How do you turn your topic into a search? Look for keywords.

Examples:

* Topic: "Should marijuana be legalized?" Keywords: marijuana, law, legislation, pot, medicinal marijuan
* Topic: "Should birth control be taught in high schools?" Keywords: birth control, condoms, high school, abstinence, sex education

Did you get too many hits? Try narrowing your search by adding keywords.

Examples:

* Add Obama or McCain to a search for election to get fewer results.
* In Academic Search Premier, click a link under Narrow Results By to get fewer articles.

Did you get only a few hits? Try to broaden your search by using a synonym for your original keyword(s). Also try a more general term, or removing one or more keywords.

Examples:

* Do a search for death penalty in addition to captial punishment.
* Search for autism instead of autistic children.

View our tutorial | All Databases by Title | All Databases by Subject

Encyclopedias offer general information on a broad range of topics. You will find specialized encyclopedias linked on the appropriate LibGuide.