Introduction to Library Research

1) Look for books in the catalog

The library catalog (Spartan Search) searches books and articles at the same time. Search the box at the top of this page or on the library homepage, then click Resource Type --> "Books."

1) Look for articles in the catalog

The library catalog (Spartan Search) searches books and articles at the same time. Search the box at the top of this page or on the library homepage. Click Resource Type --> "Articles" or "Newspapers Search" depending upon what you need. You can also refine by "Peer-Reviewed."

2) Check the Table of Contents and Index for key terms and concepts

Books are typically more comprehensive than scholarly articles, and there is usually a good chapter, essay, or even the introduction of a book that will be helpful to your research. 

2) Check subject headings and abstract for key terms and concepts

Always check the subject headings and read the abstract of an article to get a better understanding of what the argument is.

3) Follow the bibliographic trails

Use the citations, also called the Bibliography/ Reference List/ Works Cited at the end of a book to locate more books or articles on your topic.

3) Follow the bibliographic trails

Use the citations, also called the Bibliography/ Reference List/ Works Cited at the bottom of an article to locate more books and articles on your topic.

4) Browse the shelf

Academic libraries use the Library of Congress Classification System. This alphanumeric organization clusters similar materials together. The perfect book may be on the shelf so take a moment to look around.

4) Use different sets of keywords to get new results

The words we use to search matters. Try more scholarly or different terminology to find the most relevant articles. Ask a librarian if you need help with this step.