Something about research...

Research is the process of investigating a subject, learning what's been said and done previously, and, based on this, formulating your own informed opinion.

How do you begin?
There is no one way, or right way, to do research. Start by thinking about your particular topic, issue, or question. Where would you likely find information? Possibilities include:

• books
• journal articles
• organizations
• newspapers
• people
• and, usually, a combination of all of the above!

Find Books
To find books at Prescott College, plus all the other libraries in Yavapai County, start by accessing the Library Catalog. For help, peruse our Search Tips. After you've discovered the appropriate Subject Headings, expand your search at other university or large public libraries. Some of these are listed under "Libraries" in our Reference Collection Online link.

Find Journal Articles
Usually, you won't find quality, academic, scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles by doing a general Internet search. Instead, Find Articles in the journal databases that Prescott College provides for our students. Some of the databases include full-text articles; some contain abstracts of articles. Many of the databases also include newspaper articles, as well as conference proceedings, book reviews, and more. Try your search in more than one database - the result may surprise you! If you need to access an article not available full-text, first, see if Prescott College subscribes to the journal, and whether it might be available full-text in another database. If not, order the article through Interlibrary Loan. For questions email ill@prescott.edu.

Find Organizations
Use a search engine to look for organizations, companies, people, and just about anything! Remember, though, that not everything, or everybody, has a presence on the world wide web. Learn about the Invisible Web - and for information about which search engines to try, and why, check out Search Engine Watch. The librarians at Prescott College have selected some web sites which may be of interest to you: look through Find Resources by Subject.

Throughout the research process, remember to evaluate the information you find. Some guidelines:

• Evaluating Sources
• Thinking Critically about World Wide Web Resources

and, test your skill at:

• Hoax? Scholarly Research? Personal Opinion? You Decide!

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This page is created and maintained by Linda Butterworth. Send comments or suggestions to library@prescott.edu.