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ENGL 101 - Winter 2023 - Reid: Library Research

This guide will suggest useful sources, search techniques and evaluation methods for researching educational barriers.

Welcome!

Introduction to
Library Research on 
Educational Barriers

 

woman using laptop
 

Image Source: PublicDomainPictures.net

The purpose of this research guide is to help students in Andrea Reid's ENGL 101 class find credible and college-level information sources.  This guide will suggest useful sources, search techniques and evaluation methods for researching educational barriers.

When to Ask a Librarian for Help

When you're not sure how to select the best library databases for your topic.

When you need help identifying search words

When you aren't sure if your source is sufficiently credible and academic for the assignment

When you've found an interesting citation but can't find the full text

When you've spent a lot of time searching without good results

When you're feeling frustrated

Research help

Questions about research, citation, login, or other?

 Contact a librarian any time!

Live chat 24/7

509-533-8821

person asking for help at information deskVisit during library hours

email

Schedule meeting (F2F;Zoom)

Recommended Sources and Searching Tips

LIBRARY RESEARCH DATABASES

Periodicals - magazines, newspapers, scholarly journals

Reference Books - articles from scholarly encyclopedias can help you narrow your topic

eBooks - browsing a book's Table of Contents can give you ideas for narrowing your topic

Controversial Topics

  • CQ Researcher - reports providing in-depth, unbiased coverage of political and social issues
  • Opposing Viewpoints - reference, news, magazine, and journal articles as well as statistics, videos, audio clips and recommended websites providing pro and con coverage of controversial political and social issues

 

GENERAL TIPS

  • As you begin your research think about the search words you'll use.  For example, when searching for information on ADHD you might also try "attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.".  Keep a list of your search words and add to it as you find new words.
  • When searching, use quotation marks to keep phrases together:  "learning disabilities", "academic achievement", "school funding"
  • If you have too many results when using the library research databases try changing the search fields.  Here's an example from Academic Search Complete that shows the search fields changed to Subject Terms.  In other words, retrieved articles must really be about that subject, rather than just mentioning the words in a minor way.

Evaluating information and domain searching

WWW Test - ask these questions when determining whether a source is reliable, especially when Googling.

  • Who's the author?  Is the author an expert?
  • What's the nature of the information?  Is it objective or biased?  Is it based on careful research?
  • When was it written?  Is it appropriately up-to-date?

Note:  Evaluating information can be more complicated than answering these simple questions. If you need help thinking through the evaluation process, ask a librarian or your instructor.

Domain Searching

Try limiting your Google search to a particular domain (such as .edu or .gov which are restricted domains). You may find more reliable information.  Here are a couple of search examples:

"school funding" "academic achievement" site:.edu

"first generation college students" site:.gov

 

Finding Credible Sources on the Open Web

For tips on how to find credible information on the Open Web see this SCC Library Research Guide: 

Beyond the Library Databases: Open Access Sources

Developing a Research Question

developing a research question infographic

This infographic was developed by librarians at IUPUI (Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis).

Detailed description of "Developing a Research Question" from the IUPUI librarians.

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