Search Strategy
Here is a good, basic formula for getting started with your research:
- Begin by narrowing down your topic and developing an initial research question.
- Use the keyword brainstorming worksheet to help you tweak your research question, identify keywords and related terms, and keep track of what you find.
- Search in a library catalog (Summon, OBIS, OhioLINK and/or WorldCat) to find books and reference sources. These sources will:
- provide BACKGROUND and CONTEXT
- REVIEW and SUMMARIZE earlier work
- help you FOCUS your topic and
- provide CITATIONS to important books, journal articles, conference papers, interviews, etc.
- Next, search research databases to find articles. The library has hundreds of databases; those listed on this guide are good places to begin.
- You may also wish to use Google Scholar to search the Internet. This is a great tool for doing cited reference searches.
Managing Your Research Time
These assignment calculators help break down research projects into a series of manageable steps, and gives some tips on what to do at each step along the way. Enter your project's due date to get started!
- The Assignment Calculator (Univ. of British Columbia)
- The Assignment Calculator (University of Minnesota Libraries)
- The Assignment Calculator (SUNY Empire State College) -- this one has sections for taking notes!
These are just a few examples. There are other similar tools out there on the internet.
STEM Librarian / Research Help
Contact:Eboni A. Johnson (she/her/hers)
STEM Librarian / Head of the Science Library
ejohnson@oberlin.edu
440-775-5146
Subject expert for:
Astronomy, Biology,
Chemistry & Biochemistry,
Environmental Studies,
Geosciences, Mathematics,
Medicine & Health,
Neuroscience, Physics,
Science & Technology