Student's guide to writing college papers, Fourth edition - Kate L. Turabian 2010
Search for sources systematically
Finding useful sources
Writing your paper
Before college, many students do all of their research on the web, because their school libraries are small and they need few sources. In college, you can do much of your research online, starting with your library's online catalog. But if you search just the Internet, you can miss important sources that you'll find only by poking around in your library.
4.3.1 Talk to Reference Librarians
Most college libraries offer tours and short seminars on how to search the catalog, databases, and other sources of information. If you're a new researcher, seize every opportunity to learn the online search techniques in your field.
You can also talk to librarians who specialize in the general area of your topic. They won't find sources for you, but they'll help you look for them. If you have a research question, share it:
I'm looking for data on ________ because I want to find out ______________.
If you have a working hypothesis and reasons, share them too:
I'm looking for data to show [your reason] because I want to claim [your hypothesis].
If you've done some research but can't find the evidence you need, bring copies of what you have found and pose your question as a challenge:
I'm looking for data to show [your reason] because I want to claim [your hypothesis]. I've found A, B, and C, but they aren't what I need. Can you show me how to find something better?
Reference librarians love a challenge, and they respond well to students who see research as a hunt. Rehearse your questions to avoid wasting your time and theirs.
4.3.2 Skim Specialized Reference Works
Look up your topic in a specialized encyclopedia or dictionary such as the Encyclopedia of Philosophy or the Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms, where you may find an overview of your topic. You will also usually find a list of standard primary and secondary sources.
4.3.3 Search Your Library Catalog
Search your online catalog using keywords from your question or working hypothesis—Alamo, Texas independence, James Bowie. If you find too many titles, limit your search to those published in the last ten years. If you find too few, search a catalog service like WorldCat (if your library supports it) or go to the Library of Congress catalog at http://www.loc.gov. It has links to large university catalogs. Start early if you expect to get books from interlibrary loan.
ARTICLES. If most sources on your topic are articles, locate a recent one in your library's online databases. Its database entry will include a list of keywords. Use them to find more articles on your topic. In most cases, you can just click on them. Some databases provide abstracts of journal articles. Use these keywords to search the library catalog as well.
BOOKS. Once you find one book relevant to your topic, look it up in your library's online catalog to find its Library of Congress subject headings (at the bottom of the entry). Click on the subject headings to find other books on the same topics. Many of those sources will have more subject headings that can lead you to still more sources. It can turn into an endless trail.
4.3.4 Search Guides to Periodical Literature
If you've done any research before, you probably know how to use ProQuest or a similar online database of periodical literature. You can also find print guides such as the Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature. Most specialized fields also have yearly guides to secondary sources, such as Art Abstracts, Historical Abstracts, and Abstracts in Anthropology. Most are available online or on CDs.
4.3.5 Follow Bibliographical Trails
Every secondary source you find will include a bibliography. If a source looks useful, scan its bibliography for promising titles. Once you locate them, scan their bibliographies. One good source can set you on a trail to all the sources you'll need.
4.3.6 Browse the Shelves
You might think that online research is always faster than walking around your library. It often is, but it can also be slower; and if you work only online, you may miss sources that you'll find only in the library. More important, you'll miss the benefits of serendipity—a chance encounter with a source that you find only in person.
If you can get into the stacks (where the books that you can check out are shelved), find the shelf with books on your topic. Then scan the titles on that shelf and the ones above, below, and on either side. (Then skim titles behind you; you never know.) When you spot a book with a new binding published by a university press, skim its table of contents, then its index. Then skim its bibliography for relevant titles. You can do all that faster with books on a shelf than you can online.
Now do the same for any journal articles you've found. Most volumes include a yearly table of contents; skim them for the prior ten years. Then take a quick look at the journals shelved nearby. Skim their most recent tables of contents.
If a book or article looks promising, skim its preface or introduction. Even if it doesn't seem relevant, record its call number and bibliographic data, and in a few words summarize what it seems to be about. A week later, you might realize that it's more useful than you thought.
QUICK TIP
If you are new to a field, you can get a rough idea of a journal's quality by its look. If it's on glossy paper with lots of illustrations, even advertisements, it might be more journalistic than scholarly.