Strategies for Selecting the Best Resource for Your Research
The Library has hundreds of electronic resources for your research. Before you select a resource, it is important to understand that each database not only has different dates of coverage and subject areas, but also may include different kinds of materials. Below are some steps to take to ensure you are selecting the best resource for your research topic.
Break
down your topic into subject areas and keywords.
Think about your topic for your project and ask yourself the following questions.
- What subject area(s) might your topic fall under?
- What keywords can you use to describe your topic?
Then write down the answers. Although this seems very simple, this information will be extremely helpful in developing your search and selecting resources.
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EXAMPLE Topic: Effect of Agent Orange cases on government health services for Vietnam veterans What subject areas
might this topic fall under? What keywords
could you use to describe this topic? |
Determine
The Types of Information You Will Need
The type of information you need may affect not only what resources you select to use, but also your search strategy. Ask yourself the following questions:
- What type of sources do you need?
- Do you need primary or secondary sources? Popular or scholarly publications?
- How important is time in your research?
- Do you need "up-to-the-minute" information or are you looking for materials that cover a specific time period?
- How important is place in your research?
- Are you looking for materials covering a specific geographic area or that were published in a certain place?
- What languages do you need material in?
- Is reading documents in their original language important for your topic? Can you read languages other than English?
The answers you have to these questions will help you determine if the resources you are considering cover the specific time, geographic place, or languages that you need for your topic.
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EXAMPLE Topic: Effect of Agent Orange cases on government health services for Vietnam veterans
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Selecting
Your Resource
The Library's Database Finder and Research Guides by Subject provide detailed descriptions for each electronic resources that we subscribe to. Using the answers to the above questions, review the following parts of the description and ask yourself the following questions:
- What years does the database cover?
Some databases contain only newer articles, while others only index older publications.A few, like JSTOR, have an embargo, which prevents you from searching publications from the last five years. Understanding the coverage can prevent you from searching the wrong database for your needs. In addition, it can also help you determine whether you may need to search an earlier, print version of an index to find the articles you need. - What type of materials does the database include?
The description of the database should also let you know what kinds of materials are included. For example, you can determine if the database indexes articles, book chapters or dissertations. Other resources may focus on specific types of publications, such as newspapers or theses. - What subject areas are covered in the database?
The database description will also provide more detailed information about what subject areas are covered in the resources.
Using the information that you have gathered, you can use the descriptions review the lists of databases or descriptions of an index to determine if the resource fits your needs.
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EXAMPLE Topic: Effect of Agent Orange cases on government health services for Vietnam veterans What databases should
I search? |
Getting Help
If you still can't determine what the best resource is for your topic, you may want to check out our Database Starting Points, which will lead you to the top article databases for your topic. Or, you can Ask a Librarian for assistance. We can help you determine what the best sources are for your needs.