Use the table of contents to navigate this research guide. If you have questions about research or citations, or need some guidance while completing the assignment, come to the library for help or send an email to sforfa@wsps.org.
Keeping track of the progress you have made in your research is an important part of the research process. What resources have you examined? What search terms and limiters have you used? Did you discover new keywords that you would like to try in future searches? What search techniques have been successful and unsuccessful?
Knowing the answers to questions such as these can help prevent you from conducting duplicate research, or from overlooking valuable resources.
Create a copy of this log to record the search terms and techniques you used or plan to use.
Need some help? View a completed research log example by clicking here.
A major part of the research process includes evaluating the sources of information you locate in your searches. In other words, this step includes searching for relevant information sources and deciding whether to keep and include those sources for your research or discard them in favor of newer, more reliable, higher quality sources.
When considering whether or not to use a source, ask yourself these questions:
WHO Who wrote the information? Do they have any professional experience or credentials? Is the website sponsored by a company or organization?
WHAT Does the information relate to your topic or address your research question? Who is the intended audience?
WHEN When was the information created, published, posted, or last updated? Is your topic particularly time sensitive?
WHERE Where did the information come from? Are there sources or links provided?
WHY Why was the information created? What was the goal of publishing this content for the world to see?
AND FINALLY...is this information better than what I could find in databases or other published literature? If the answer is no, keep searching!
Search for books on your topic in the library catalog:
Research in Context
A great source for basic information! Includes academic articles, images, and more on many topics.
Science in Context
Academic articles, news, videos, experiments, and more in all fields of science.
Heath Reference Center Academic
Academic health information from the medical professional's perspective.
Bookmarking Articles
Save articles and searches for later
Sending Articles to Google Drive
Download and save articles to your Drive
Citations
Quickly find an APA citation for a source
Highlights & Notes
Learn how to highlight and take notes on an article
Search Techniques
Learn how to navigate a database and find what you need
A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, Medline Plus offers a powerful search tool and even a dictionary for finding trusted, carefully chosen health information.
PubMed comprises more than 28 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites.
Cite your sources in APA format with NoodleTools Express! No login needed, just click on the logo below.
