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Approaches to Finding Sources

In an effort to make our handouts more accessible, we have begun converting our PDF handouts to web pages.

Download this page as a PDF:聽Hints for Finding Sources

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  • 1. Make an Appointment with a Research Librarian

    Make an appointment with a research librarian. From the聽, click on the heading 鈥淕et Help With Research.鈥 Then, under the heading 鈥淩esearch Assistance and Guides,鈥 click on the tab 鈥淪ubject Librarians.鈥 Voila! You have the location, email, and telephone contact information for librarians by subject area.

  • 2. Tap into Dictionaries and Encyclopedias through the Vanderbilt Library

    For reference guides like the Encyclopedia Britannica, the Oxford English Dictionary, etc., click on 鈥淎rticles and Databases鈥 from the聽, and then go to 鈥淒ictionaries/Encyclopedias鈥 under the heading 鈥淟ooking for Something Else?鈥

  • 3. Finding Newspaper Articles through the Vanderbilt Library

    For newspaper articles, click on 鈥淎rticles and Databases鈥 from the聽, and then go to LexisNexis. You will want to select a source, and you may also want your search to cover multiple years. Be sure to navigate the appropriate drop boxes.

  • 4. Finding Journal Articles through the Vanderbilt Library

    For journal articles, click on 鈥淎rticles and Databases鈥 from the聽, and then select a subject area from the drop-down list (starts with 鈥淎frican-American Studies鈥).

  • 5. Finding Books in the Vanderbilt Library

    For books in the聽, search the library catalog, located in several places on the library main page. Select a search type from the drop-down box to get better results; you may want to try 鈥淪ubject Keyword鈥 if you鈥檙e doing a more general search, or 鈥淭itle鈥 if you know exactly what you want. (Don鈥檛 forget to drop 鈥渢he,鈥 鈥渁n,鈥 and other first-word articles when searching a title 鈥 for example, searching for 鈥淭he Van鈥 does not find Roddy Doyle鈥檚 novel The Van, but searching for 鈥淰an鈥 does.) We also recommend doing an Advanced search.

  • 6. How Current is the Data? Keep an Eye on Publication Dates

    In fields where new data and ideas are constantly emerging, be careful to check the publication dates of your sources. Especially in the sciences and social sciences, research from fifty years ago will be out of date and will inaccurately represent the present state of the field.

  • 7. Critically Evaluate Your Sources and Where You Find Them

    As a general rule when doing any kind of research, know that the Internet is full of questionable and sometimes thoroughly unreliable sources. This is not to say that information from electronic sources is not ever valid; plenty of well-respected journals and other resources are available electronically through the聽. Just remember: Googling to find leads is one thing; Googling to find material to cite is typically frowned upon.

  • 8. Know the Limits of General Reference Resources

    You may want to read around in general encyclopedias to get ideas and acquire a basic familiarity with your topic, but do not depend upon them too much in your final paper. Strong research papers engage with more specialized sources.

  • 9. Get to Know the Vanderbilt Library and Its Amazing Array of Resources and Tools

    The library offers so many resources to aid you with gathering information for your research paper. Check out the library鈥檚聽聽and make time to 鈥淎sk a Librarian鈥 and connect with one in person. You will be glad you did!

Last revised: 08/2008 |聽Adapted for web delivery: 07/2021

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