Use these questions to help you decide where to search.

Do You Have Any Required Sources?

Double-check your assignment and look for the types of sources required, such as peer-reviewed journal articles, newspaper articles, data, books, or videos. Different sources are found in different places.

What Types of Sources Are Most Likely to Have Information on Your Topic?

The research topic you choose will have an impact on the types of sources you will find. Some topics are covered in both books and journal articles. Current events are more likely to be covered in newspaper articles.

The peer-review process takes months, and research covering very recent events may not be available until a year after the event occurs. Therefore, journal articles are usually not useful for current events.

What Broader Subject Encapsulates Your Topic?

Think about what broader subject your topic could fall under since many topics are connected to various subjects. For example, the topic of “video games” may be explored by scholars in sociology, psychology, computer science, art, or media studies. Because of this, you may need to check multiple subject databases to find your information or use a search tool like Library Search which covers multiple databases.