Suggestions for refining your topic:

1. Start with Google to do some background research and reading on your topic. 
2. As you read, try to identify different angles or perspectives on your topic. For example, if you are interested in how technology impacts college students' lives, do some Google searches with keyword and phrases about that topic.
3. When you find an article you are interested in, notice the terminology used and the perspective or angle being discussed.
4. As your interest sparks, do more searches using new keywords and phrases and narrowing in on specific perspectives. Eventually, you will find articles on a variety of different perspectives.
5. With our example above, how technology impacts college students' lives, you may find all these different perspectives or angles:
   • Social media use
   • Privacy concerns
   • Impact on face-to-face relationships and interactions
   • Impact on attention span
   • Use in education
6. Likely, you will only be able to cover one or two perspectives in your assignment (check your professor's requirements.) Once you pick your angle, generate a list of keywords and phrases about your topic that you can use in the library's databases to find high quality sources for your paper. 

Use this worksheet to help refine your research question through guided searching:

Characteristics	Scholarly	Trade or Professional	Popular
Purpose	Scholarly, or "peer reviewed" journals disseminate new findings, results of studies, theories, etc.	Written for "insiders" in a particular industry. Include industry news, opinion, practical advice and product reviews.	Include news, feature stories, opinion/editorial pieces, etc. Meant to inform and entertain.
Appearance and Format	Plain covers that vary little from issue to issue Article sections like: abstract, literature review, methodology, results, conclusion Articles may include charts or graphs Advertising limited to books and meetings	May have bright glossy covers Title usually includes name of industry or profession Articles short to medium length--rarely longer than a few pages Often have illustrations, charts, or graphs Advertising for products aimed at industry professionals	Usually a bright, glossy, eye-catching cover Articles short to medium length Lots of advertising for general consumer products Colorful photos and illustrations
Frequency of Publication	Monthly or quarterly	Usually monthly, sometimes weekly	Weekly or monthly
Authors & Editors	Authors are scholars writing about their research. Usually affiliated with a college, university, or research institute. Articles are reviewed by a board of experts ("peer reviewed")	Authors are usually specialists in the field, sometimes journalists May go through an editorial process, but not peer review	Authors are magazine staff members or free-lance writers May go through an editorial process, but not peer review
Readership & Language	Aimed at practitioners in a particular field of study Language is often intensely academic, using the jargon of the field	Aimed at practitioners in a particular industry or profession Articles use jargon of the industry	Written to appeal to a broad segment of the population Articles written for a general audience; fairly jargon-free
Documentation	Sources are always cited using footnotes or parenthetical references "Works cited" section at end of articles	May or may not include citations	Citations and bibliographies are rare

Content adapted from Ithaca College Library, Research 101

Keep it Credible

Scrutinize your sources and see what others say to select the best information.

Keep It Credible Infographic

What is a database?

A database is a searchable collection of information. Databases have a mix of scholarly articles, popular articles from newspapers and magazines, trade journals, and sometimes e-books, videos, images and more.

The UTC Library subscribes to hundreds of databases. Multisubject databases provide millions of articles on a wide variety of topics. Subject-specific databases provide fewer articles, but will focus exclusively on one or two subject areas.

Follow these guidelines when picking a database:

1. If you're just getting started with your research or need a variety of popular and scholarly sources try a Multisubject database like ProQuest Central. (Use the Databases button on the library's homepage, see the Multisubject list below the searchbox)

2. To find Subject specific databases, click on the Research Guides button and select the academic discipline your topic is associated with. For example, if your topic is about social media and body issues, you can go to the Psychology Subject guide. 

Finding the Full Text & Interlibrary Loan

Some articles have a Download PDF button when the full text is readily available. It might look like this:

If you don't see a PDF button, you might see a red Get It @ UTC button:

Click the red Get It @ UTC button to see if we have the full text in a different database.

If we don't have an article or book that you need, use Interlibrary Loan (borrow from another library) to order the article or book that you need. It's free & easy!  

Using the Databases

For the most part, all of the UTC Library databases work the same.

1. First, you'll come to a Search screen. Enter your keywords in here and click search. 
2. Once you've entered your search, you'll see the initial Results screen. Here's where you can filter by source type, publication date, or subject area.
3. When you find an article you like, click on the title to get to the Article screen. This is where you should see the full article information, an abstract if there is one, and links to the full text and tools for citing and emailing the article.

View this short tutorial for more examples of how to use the databases.