| Follow these steps when using online search tools to locate research materials: |
| • |
Choose
the online search tool that best matches your information need
(e.g. the library catalog to locate books, databases to locate
articles, etc.) |
| • |
Read
the online help files available in most online search tools
to better understand how to use each search tool. |
| • |
Try
your preliminary search terms in the search tool. (See Unit
4 for information about choosing search terms.) |
| • |
Refine
searches to improve their effectiveness using tips from Unit
4. |
| • |
Locate
the desired information:
-- access online full text articles (see Unit 7),
-- use the information in catalog records (see Unit 5), or
-- use the citation information (see Unit 6). |
| • |
Use
library services to obtain the item if it is not available in
the library (see Unit 9). |
| • |
Evaluate
the information (see Unit 8). |
| Follow
these steps when using periodical abstracts and indexes to locate
research materials: |
| • |
Choose
a tool relevant to your subject (e.g. Business Periodicals
Index offers citations for articles about business topics,
while Education Index has citations for articles about
education). |
| • |
Read
the search tool's introduction or preface material. |
| • |
Scan
for possible search terms in the alphabetical headings lists. |
| • |
Locate
citations to articles beneath appropriate headings. |
| • |
Look
in the front of the index or abstract to find a journal's
full title if journal titles are abbreviated in the citations. |
| • |
Locate
the article using the citation information (see Unit 6). |
| • |
Use
library services to obtain the item if it is not available in
the library (see Unit 9). |
| • |
Evaluate
the information (see Unit 8). |
