Finding Sources

Types of Sources

A robust search strategy will include some combination of the following:

Library Databases and Subject Guides

These online resources are designed to help you to quickly locate reliable and relevant information. Results include journal articles, reference e-books, and more. Because databases are designed for researchers, they often feature useful tools like ready-made citations, related search terms, translations, and more. If a published article you need is not available through our collection, the librarian can usually get a copy (free!) through an interlibrary loan request.

Not sure why you should use a database? Watch the video What Are Databases and Why You Need Them.

• • • AHS Research Databases

    • AHS Subject Guides

Library Catalog

Search for books, videos, magazines, and other resources available at your library. Because library catalogs search only the bibliographic record of an item, rather than the complete text, keep your search terms relatively general. For example, rather than searching for "the history of juvenile justice during the 1920s" you might look for any book on "juvenile justice" and then check the index or table of contents for your specific topic.

• • AHS Library Catalog

Other Libraries

The Robbins Library is close and convenient to Arlington High School. Search the online catalog and make requests from any library in the Minuteman system. If you don't have a card, just take a copy of your schedule (including your photo) to the circulation desk. You can also access many Boston Public Library databases, including JSTOR, from home. Sign up for an e-card, available to anyone living in Massachusetts, online in mere minutes.

• • • Robbins Library

    • Boston Public Library Online Resources and e-Card Registration

Internet Search Engines

The internet is a rich source of information, but it is a little like the Wild West. Many sources on the open internet have not been edited or verified. You must be selective about which web pages you use in your research or risk undermining your own credibility and possibly using wrong information.

Although it is tempting to go straight to Google when beginning research, it can take longer in the end because you get so many hits, results are not filtered for quality or relevance, and there are limited researcher tools. Search engines like Google and Bing only search the "visible" web, meaning that they cannot see great content behind paywalls or passwords, like our library database articles.

Advanced search options can help you find what you are looking for more quickly. Search for complete phrases using quotation marks (e.g., "human microbiome" or "Arab Spring"), search specific domains (e.g., site:gov), and more. As you search, visualize the kinds of results that will be most helpful to you, such as government agency and news sites and look for those. Watch this two-minute video from Common Craft to learn more.

Digital Archives

Online archives and databases are especially useful for finding for older primary sources, which become part of the public domain, and government documents. Search them directly, or find them through internet search engines and library subject guides. Here are a few of our favorites.

• • American Memory from the Library of Congress

  • Google Scholar

  • Internet Archive

  • New York Public Library Digital Collections

  • Project Gutenberg

  • PubMed Central

Original Research

You may conduct original field work such as interviewing an expert, conducting a survey, performing an experiment, etc.

Asking for Help

Can't find what you need? Talk to a librarian! In fact, many good researchers speak with a librarian BEFORE they develop their search strategy, saving time and frustration in the long run.

Keyword Searches

You will use keywords to search for information whether in databases, online catalogs, internet search engines, and even books (use the index at the back).

Try this brainstorming process to develop a list of potential keywords:

List keywords that are important to each of the concepts in your research question. If you aren't sure what your keywords should be, write out your research question or a few sentences about your topic and circle the important words. For example:

• What are the effects of television on teenagers? > television, teenagers

Next brainstorm SYNONYMS and RELATED CONCEPTS:

• teenagers > adolescents, young adults, children, students

Brainstorm NARROWER search terms:

• television > television commercials, advertising, product placement

Brainstorm BROADER terms:

• television > media, entertainment

Combine keywords to get articles that match each of your important concepts. For example:

• television AND childhood obesity

Mix and match these terms in your database and catalog searches to see which are most effective.

Advanced Search Tips

Advanced search strategies will allow you to achieve more accurate and precise results. Try these:

Use QUOTATION MARKS to search for exact phrases. For example:

• "muscular dystrophy" or "Of Mice and Men" will find those exact phrases

Use WILDCARD characters when you don't remember exactly how something is spelled or you want to locate multiple items with similar but not identical spellings. The most common wildcard is an asterisk (*) although databases may use others. For example:

• photo* will find the words photograph, photographer, photos, photosynthesis, etc.

• Mat* will find the names Mat, Matt, Matthew, Mathew, Mathieu, etc.

Use BOOLEAN LOGIC like AND, OR, and NOT to refine your search results. In many databases, a minus sign (-) stands in for the logical term NOT. For example, if you are searching for the fish called a mullet and want to eliminate results about hairstyles, you could use this search:

• mullet -hair will find results that contain the word mullet and do NOT contain the word hair

Use ADVANCED SEARCH OPTIONS and filters. Make use of advanced search options. These differ among databases and search engines but may include filters for full-text, scholarly articles, or articles with images; reading level; year of publication; etc.

Check your SPELLING. If you don't find anything on your topic, sloppy spelling may be to blame!

Understanding Primary and Secondary Sources

Your teacher may ask you to include PRIMARY SOURCES in your research. Even if it is not required, using primary sources can show your depth of knowledge about a topic and make your work more interesting.

PRIMARY SOURCES are works created during the time period you are studying. Examples of primary sources include eyewitness accounts like letters, diaries, speeches, and interviews; documents like legislation and court decisions; creative work like novels, poetry, drama, and visual art; and original data such as laboratory results, surveys, and statistics.

SECONDARY SOURCES are created after the period of study; they interpret or analyze primary sources. Secondary sources include textbooks, encyclopedias, history books, books of literary criticism, articles that analyze previous findings, and more. Secondary sources may include quotations from or images of primary sources within them.

• Web Search Strategies (Common Craft) (video)