Skip to Main Content

English 10: Foundations of Literary Studies (Hatton/Omeiza)

Step 3 - Find Research & Information Sources

How & Where to SearchDecorative element: Icon of Albert Einstein drawn in outlines

Finding information requires a lot of skills that you may not be aware that you have or that you are developing. 

  • Use this page to learn strategies for HOW to find the most relevant information to meet your needs. 
  • Use the sub-pages to learn WHERE to search for research on your topic or question.
Keep in mind that sources are not fixed in time, but are parts of an ongoing scholarly conversation about a topic. For example, Albert Einstein started a conversation about relativity and quantum theory that is ongoing even today! Since Einstein's contributions, the discourse has grown and grown with new discoveries and new ideas in the field of Physics, its subfields, and other related fields. 

Index finger pointed rightReview the information in Step 4 to learn about evaluating what you find. Check out information in Step 5 about Citation Trails to learn how to discover additional citations to relevant works to help you answer your research question.

Searching

Creating a Search

A. Boolean Operators

OR is mORe (joins similar terms)  e.g. photo-essay OR photojournalism

AND is less (joins dissimilar terms) e.g. philosophy AND "hip hop"

Sample Search Using both AND and OR

"Black Arts Movement"

AND

"Nikki Giovanni" OR poetry

B. Quotation Marks

Use quotation marks to search for a phrase

  • "African Diaspora"
  • "A Lesson Before Dying"
  • "literary criticism"
  • "Toni Morrison"

C. Truncation

Use a symbol to look for variant endings of a word. The asterisk * is the most commonly used symbol.

  • femini* will search for feminist, feminine, feminists ... etc.

Database Functionality

D. Limiters

Take advantage of limiters (filters) in the databases.

Examples:

  • Date
  • Source Type / Content Type / Document Type

E. Use Get it at UC links

These are intended to make your life easier!  Use the Get it at UC link to locate the article/book OR to Request it through Interlibrary Loan.

Also we aware of whether your are looking at a book, book chapter, or article.  This will make a difference when you decide whether or not to check UC Library Search via the Get it at UC link.

F. Bibliographies / Cited By

Make use of bibliographies in books and articles and/or use Cited By functionality.  Search for a known item in UC Library Search (e.g. book) or Google Scholar (e.g. article).

 

 

Troubleshooting Tips

Search Tips:

If you think your search phrase should have more results, try the following steps:

  • Use 'OR' between terms to find results with either term.
  • Use 'AND' between terms to find results with both terms.
  • Check the spelling of your search phrase.
  • Broaden your search by removing any quotes from your phrase or any filters.
  • Simplify a longer search by removing some of the words.

Step 3 - Pause to Reflect

Pause to Reflect

Did you find the information you needed? Will it help you answer your research question? If not, it might be time to reach out to a Research Librarian for an appointment. Decorative element: Icon of a standing person in a pensive pose with a thought bubble above their head

As researchers, we should approach the evidence we find with an open mind. Research should broaden or inform our perspectives, and not confirm our own biases. If your research is just a collection of cherry-picked quotes, you may need to go back to the library catalog, UC Library Search, or the article databases to gather more information and other perspectives to consider.