As you begin your research the following strategies may be of help to you in choosing your topic, gathering your resources, and searching for information in the library, in databases, or on the Internet.

When choosing a topic some good sources are….

• Interests you have
• What you’ve been reading or talking about with others
• Books, magazines, or newspapers
• Online topic lists from databases or websites

When researching your topic, ask yourself the following questions…

• What do you already know about your topic?
• What about the topic interests you?
• What subject area does your topic fall into?  (ex. History, science, literature)
• In what ways can you describe your topic?

When gathering your resources, keep in mind…

• What kind of assignment or research paper you have to complete
• How much information you need
• What types of research materials (journal, magazine, or newspaper articles, books, etc.) are required for your project
• How much time you have to complete your assignment

When should you use Keywords, Subject Headings, Phrases, or Single Words when searching your topic?

• Keywords give you a broader search with more results.  This can be useful when you are brainstorming and first starting to research your topic.
• Subject Headings give you more specific results.
• Phrases and Single Words require you to be more specific about your topic and will narrow your search results.

What are Boolean Operators?

• AND – Combines search terms so the search results contain all of the terms used.  (ex. Technology and iPods finds results that contain both terms)
• OR – Combines search terms so the search results contain at least one of the terms used.  (ex. Technology or iPods finds results that contain either of the terms)
• NOT – Excludes terms so the search results do not contain any of the terms that follow it.  (ex. Technology but not the term iPods)
• Using more than one Boolean operator in a search string will give you more specific results.  (ex. MP3 and (2006 or 2007) not (Apple or iPods) finds results that contain MP3 in the years 2006 or 2007 but not the terms Apple or iPods)