Search:
Research Skills & Tips:
The MC Library has access to different kinds of search tools:
MC students, faculty, and staff can access all of our search tools and online resources from on- or off-campus.
Research Skills & Tips:
Unlike Google, library databases can't understand an entire sentence. You'll need to break your topic down into the most important ideas: the keywords. Keywords are individual words or short phrases that represent the main ideas in your topic, thesis, or research question.
Example Question: How does the attempt to reclaim Alcatraz Island for Native American tribes connect with the landback movement of today?
Keywords: Alcatraz Island, Native American tribes, landback
After you've identified your main ideas and some keywords to start with, think of additional search terms for each concept. These can be synonyms, related ideas, broader terms, or narrower terms. Since a database will match only what you type, using different terms for similar ideas can help you find more articles.
Example Search Terms:
Click on the research issue you're having below to see tips for addressing it:
I'm Not Finding Enough Sources
I'm Finding Irrelevant Sources
None of These Tips Solved My Research Issue
Not Finding Enough Sources
Finding Too Many Sources
Finding Irrelevant Sources
If the options above did not help you find useful results, you may want to:
Research Skills & Tips:
After you've selected your search tool, identified keywords, and fixed research issues, it's time to choose your sources. It is common to get more search results than you will use, so you must evaluate the sources you find to choose the best ones for your research.
Start by scanning the search results to locate sources that fit your research question or need. The search results page will include information about each source, such as the title, year, and abstract, to help you determine its relevance.
Once you've found a source you'd like to use, evaluate its credibility by considering the evidence, source, context, audience, purpose, and execution of the source. Learn more on the Evaluate Information and Fake News guide linked below.
Research Skills & Tips:
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