This page provides a list of resources you can use to start your research, as well as strategies you can use to improve your searches. This is relevant to any assignment in ENGL 1302 that requires the use of sources, but especially the Annotated Bibliography.

Once you have a topic in mind and have an idea of the type of sources that will help you answer your questions, you can begin your search. But where should you start your search? You'll want to think about where you're most likely to find the information you need. The following video explains the difference between what you can find with Google and what you can find in the libraries' research databases.

Video Transcript

Ultimately, you'll probably want to use both Google and the libraries' research databases. The following databases are a good place to start to find scholarly articles, newspaper articles, research data, and more:

More specialized search tools can be found using the Library Databases list.

You might be used to using natural language searching when you use Google, meaning you use everyday terminology and perhaps even complete sentences to find what you need. However, you'll notice that same strategy is not as effective in the libraries' databases. Instead, you'll need to spend some time identifying the keywords from your research topic or question and using those as a starting point for developing effective search terms. The following video goes into more detail on what this process can look like:

Video Transcript

If you want to learn more about developing search terms and other search strategies that will help you find the information you need, you can complete the Search Terms and Strategies online lesson, or use the worksheet to guide your process.