Introduction to Research

Learn to do Library Research

Never written a term paper? New to graduate school? Unsure about how to start a literature search using electronic resources? The staff and resources at the Van Pelt and Opie Library are here to help you save time, search more efficiently, retrieve quality results, and keep your research material organized. To start, explore our website to become familiar with the range of resources available:

• Library Catalog to find out what books, journals, and other material the library has available
• E-Journals to access individual periodical titles in electronic format
• Databases to search for articles from journals, conference proceedings, and other publications by subject. Click on "Search by Subject Heading" to get started. Databases have online help.
• Interlibrary Loan to request books and articles from other libraries
• Managing citations to help you organize your search results and speed up the process of compiling your bibliography.
• to contact a librarian for help. Reference Librarians are available to meet with you to help you get started and to assist you as your research progresses.