Welcome to the Fall 2024 Research Guide for BT 273. In this guide, there are countless tools and resources for completing your research in this class. I recommend looking at the headings of each box on this page to discover what is most useful to you. Good luck on your research this quarter!
Research databases are websites that contain collections of information. They can be browsed or searched. They can be paid (usually accessible through libraries) or they can be open access (or free to the public). SCC subscribes to over 50 databases. You can see them all on our databases page here.
There are many types of information resources contained in research databases, including articles, books, images, and movies. Databases usually have specific themes or format types. For example, there are health databases that focus on centralizing health information, and there are movie databases that contain collections of streaming video.
Because they are focused, databases are useful for doing research. For many researchers, using a search engine or Google Scholar can be overwhelming. Even Primo or other library systems can contain too much information. It can be very stressful. This is why researchers may start in individual databases.
The following databases contain academic articles about many topics. These are typical starting points for student research.
Index to articles in magazines, journals, newspapers, videos and blogs.
Index to articles in magazines, journals, and newspapers.
Click here to watch an example of researching "employee privacy."
Click the following links to view tutorials for two of the recommended databases. These videos are published in YouTube.
Research happens in many ways. When working on research in this class, consider the following.
Remember to follow your timeline within the course. Research eventually has to come to an end, especially as you move to writing your deliverables for the assignment.
Check out the section on "What to Do if You Get Stuck" and "Research Best Practices" for more tips.
When we do research in college, we need to think about the types of sources that contain information. These types of information can be approached in a variety of ways.
First, let's think about the format of the sources. The format of the source may determine the type, depth, or currency of information that is presented.
Books are commonly available sources that contain information on topics. There are physical books in the library. The SCC library also provides access to eBooks through Primo and its databases. SCC has countless eBooks compared to the small collection of physical books. Books often contain more information on a topic than other formats, and include overviews on the topic. Books typically do not have the most up to date information on any given topic. The books available in the library are often written by authoritative voices in the field.
These sources can be found in the physical library and eBook databases.
Articles are often the most-used format for research assignments in college. Articles are found in journals and magazines. Articles often contain research, literature reviews, or opinions on certain topics. They are often the most up to date format for information. Articles that are published in the context of higher education or private research are often referred to as scholarly or academic articles. Scholarly journals are often peer-reviewed, meaning professionals have reviewed the work of the authors / researchers in the publication before it goes to print, ensuring there is significant editing and refinement of the publication (making it higher quality). There are many types of articles, so keep that in mind as you look through them.
These sources can be found in our article databases.
Videos available through the library database and other locations are typically connected to academic programs or subjects in the college. Videos can provide specific types of information (auditory and visual) that are not as available in other format. There are also many educational videos published on other platforms like YouTube and Vimeo. Videos can be more difficult to access and cite, but also may have unique information that cannot be found elsewhere.
These sources can be found on the web and in our video databases.
While historically social media was considered taboo for the purposes of college research, the reality is that social media has opened the world to more perspectives and diverse voices than ever before. The traditional publishing methods (book publishers, journal publishers) have been highly selective and exclusive in terms of authorship. The flip side is that there are an endless number of sources available through social media platforms, and often the information provided is considered short form and is much smaller in size than other format types, but many are considering social media to contain unique and beneficial perspectives, even with college research.
These sources can be found on many different social media platforms.
Additional Qualities of Sources
The formats listed above already speaks volumes to what type of information you'll find within. But it's important to recognize there are other ways to look at types of sources and the information contained within. A few relevant qualities are listed below.
Who created this resource and why? The publisher information can inform you as to the intention and context of a given publication. Some examples include:
Consider researching the author of any given resource to learn more about why the resource was created. The author may have an affiliation with a particular organization, giving them some degree of credit or expertise. The author may also be independent, especially as we look at online videos and social media; this does not discount them by default, but may make it tricky to gauge their knowledge or expertise. It may take extra time, but researching the background of the author can be helpful as you choose to use or not use their work.
All sources go through some editing process, even if the editing is minimal to get the work published on a platform. An individual social media content producer may do little editing as they share a text post or create an on-the-fly video, for example. On the other end of the spectrum is peer review. Academic journals and some other types of publications go through an editing process where professionals review the work of the author / researcher who is publishing. This process prevents oversights and errors, and can reduce bias and maintain professional quality. Most databases have a filter that allows for showing peer reviewed work.
This video describes how to conduct a simple keyword search in Primo and a simple keyword search in ProQuest.
The following resources beyond the SCC library can still offer high quality information. Note that many of these may contain so much information that searching in them may be ineffective. You may also encounter paywalls and other restrictions when searching in these.
If you are having a hard time finding information that can meet your research requirements, follow these steps to get unstuck:
My name is Greg Bem and I created this guide. I have been at SCC for one year and I have been an academic librarian for a decade. I am excited to work with students on their research projects. Outside of librarianship, you can find me hiking, traveling the world, and playing tabletop and video games.
Librarians at SCC are here to help you. We offer many services and are adaptable, so if you have a problem or question don't hesitate to reach out! Much of our work falls into the following areas:
The following are best practices for conducting research in this class. These may not solve all your research needs, but can help you stay focused and on top of your work even if you get into trouble.
