How to Find Sources - Librarian Presentation - Amy An

1. What kind of sources do I need?

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Read your assignment to identify the type of sources you must find.

ACRL Standard #1: The information-literate student determines the nature and extent of the information needed (Frame #4: Research as Inquiry).

Types of sources and where to find them

Type of Source	How to find it in the library
Scholarly/Academic	Most library databases have a "scholarly journals" or "academic journals" filter Exceptions: some business databases, scholarly background databases
Peer-reviewed	Most library databases have a "peer-reviewed" checkbox filter Exceptions: some business databases, scholarly background databases
Textbooks	Print copies are in the library, behind the checkout desk Find print and digital copies by searching in the Library's main search box
Scholarly Background Sources	Databases: Issues & Controversies, Opposing Viewpoints in Context, Global Issues in Context, Credo Reference
Popular Sources (Trade magazines, news, & more)	Many library databases have options to filter for: magazines, newspapers, trade publications or journals, and more.
Student papers	Dissertations are best found in ProQuest databases (with the filter for dissertations).

2. How do I search for the sources I need?

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Search using keywords in library databases.

ACRL Standard Two: The information-literate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently (Frame #6: Searching as Strategic Exploration).

"I didn't know keywords were so important!"

-- Lynn Student, 2022

Write Keywords:

Write out a single question or statement for your project; underline 2-4 core terms in the sentence.
Make a list of additional terms for each core term; similar, broader, narrower, and related terms.
Not every author will use the same terms so generating a list will find more sources more quickly.

Basic search with your keywords:

Basic Search: In the library main search box or in a database search box, enter your keywords
Tips for search terms:
- Phrases: create phrases with quotation marks -- "adult children"
- AND: use AND when you want to find all the words in a search -- "adult children" AND divorce
- OR: use OR when you will be happy with any of the terms -- "parental divorce" OR divorce

Advanced search with your keywords:

Advanced search: on each line of the advanced search option, place your keywords but put one "topic" per line.
Example:
- Line one: children OR "adult children."
- Line two: "parental diverse" OR divorce.
- Line three: "romantic relationships" OR "marital status" OR "relationship quality"
Every database will look different, but all will have "advanced" options with multiple lines for groups of keywords.

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Search using keywords and "natural language" in Google and more.

Writing prompts for AI OR Google:

AI tools and Google do not require you to use keywords, you can use "natural language," i.e. you can ask your research question.
But you do need to learn how to write a better question/prompt for the AI tool you are using.
How to Write Effective AI Prompts (Grammarly)

Google Scholar tips:

Use these two links, located below an entry in Google Scholar, to find more articles:

Cited by - shows a list of all articles and books that used/cited the selected article
Related articles - shows a list of articles Google says are similar to the selected article (it's the algorithm!)