- Borrowing
Engaging in research requires a strategic and methodical approach akin to the scientific method. With practice, this process becomes increasingly efficient and intuitive.
1. Brainstorming and Planning
Begin by identifying potential keywords relevant to your research topic. Consider discipline-specific terminology and develop a list of synonyms or related concepts in advance. It is advisable to keep a record of the terms and phrases you encounter, as new and more precise vocabulary will likely emerge during the course of your search.
2. Developing a Search Strategy
Once you have a working list of keywords, the next step involves structuring these terms into a coherent search strategy. Consider where you will conduct your searches (e.g., academic databases, library catalogs, or scholarly websites) and how you will combine keywords using Boolean operators and other search techniques.
3. Selecting and Searching Appropriate Resources
Choosing the right databases is crucial to effective research. No single database will suffice for all inquiries, so plan to search across multiple platforms, tailoring your keywords and strategies to each. Familiarize yourself with the functionality and subject coverage of each resource to optimize your search outcomes.
4. Evaluating and Refining Your Search
Literature searching is inherently iterative. As you search, continuously evaluate the quality and relevance of your results. Be prepared to revise your keywords, search combinations, and choice of databases based on what you discover. Like empirical research, literature searching benefits from regular reflection and refinement.
5. Managing Search Results
Effective research involves organizing and managing the sources you locate. Citation management tools, such as Zotero, can assist you in systematically saving, annotating, and citing your references, ensuring that your research process remains organized and reproducible.
Digital Public Library of America explore 11,425,950 items from libraries, archives, and museums
Europeana Explore 48,796,394 artworks, artefacts, books, videos and sounds from across Europe.
Primary source material such as letters, diaries, newspapers, maps and photographs, sound recordings of personal accounts of events, and streaming historic films. Subjects include American national and local history, African American history, world history, performing arts, government, law & politics, art & architecture, and extensive collection of New Mexico and Western materials. Coverage: 1580-current.
Photography Journals in the Library collection that may be of interest.
The following are a series of questions to ask yourself whenever you encounter a source, whether online, through social media, recommended by a friend, or in a library database.
What is my purpose in looking for this information?
What is the purpose of this source?
How did I find this source?
How was this source created, recommended, disseminated?
How did I come to know about this source's existence?
Who is the intended audience?
Do I know what this thing is (can I summarize it and its intentions easily)?
Assessing authority can be tricky, but we often do it pretty hastily and without thinking. The following questions are designed to help you slow down and reflect on the authorship and authority of the sources you encounter.
Who is the author?
Is the source easy to investigate? How transparent is its claims, links, sources?
What are the creator's education, credentials, occupation, affiliations, other publications? How are these qualifications relevant to the information presented?
Is the resource peer reviewed or edited? If so, by whom?
Does the creator know what they're talking about?
Is the site stable? Has it been there for a while and does it look like it's going to stay?
Finally, we often assess the scope, currency, and coverage of sources without thinking, but they can tell us a lot about a source, and whether they are appropriate to our research.
Is the topic covered comprehensively or selectively?
Is coverage regional, national, or international?
Is coverage recent or historical?
Is coverage up-to-date?
Books on photography in the Library collection.