Research Fundamentals : Home

Web search engines such as Google are convenient for quickly finding information that is freely available online. 

But:

• Much of the most valuable and important material is not free.  
• Web search engines offer limited search options.

Library databases:

• Offer flexible search options that help you to quickly identify the best content on your topic. 

• Link to the full text or to options for quickly obtaining the full text at no cost.

• Help you to manage your content and cite it properly.

• Express your research topic in the form of a statement or a question and identify pertinent keywords
• Determine the type and amount of information you need

• Select the appropriate research tools.

• Search the research databases effectively to retrieve relevant results

• Evaluate search results and refine your search if necessary

• Get the full text of the materials you need

• Understand the legal and ethical issues involved in use of the materials you have collected

• Cite your sources