Advanced Writing in the Disciplines (AWD) : Academic Research

Using a database that fits your topic will help improve the quality of your research.

Use the Research Guides by subject, or choose your AWD course from the "Find Your Course" menu to get some suggestions on databases for your topic. If you would like additional help in selecting a database, please contact us!

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What are the differences between scholarly, trade and popular periodicals?

Don't need an article? Search for books and other materials with the Library Catalogs dropdown option in Scholar OneSearch.

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In order to search a database, you first need to know what you want to search for! Here are some a few ways that can help you focus your search. Write a sentence or two that describes your topic.

• Pick out two or three key terms from your written topic.
• Enter one or more of those terms into an article database that covers your topic.
• Look at your results list.
• Choose an article that interests you, and click on the title.
• Skim the abstract and keywords/subject headings for additional ideas for search terms.
• Repeat with a new search, if needed.
• Ask a librarian for help!

If you've started your search and want better results, use our Top 10 Search Tips to help you refine your search.

Academic research requires skills beyond those needed for everyday searching. To conduct research for academic purposes, you will need to:

• Choose appropriate databases.
• Find the right types of sources for your research.
• Use more sophisticated search techniques to get articles that are focused.
• Evaluate and analyze the sources that you find.

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