This web page is designed to give you some suggestions for getting started on your research projects. For more information, please see a librarian. You can find one by asking at the library's front desk, or by clicking here for contact information.

Contrary to what many students believe, everything needed for a thorough review of most topics is not available solely through the Internet. Today's resources are found in a variety of evolving formats; the Internet is just one of those. Let's begin there.

Resources

The Internet

The Internet is a valuable tool and is excellent for finding information through a variety of official sources such as government documents and professional associations. Sources such as these are largely reliable and information from them can be generally be trusted. However, anyone having a few basic tools and skills can post information on the Internet, regardless of their level of knowledge on the subject about which they are posting. You will find that some web sites intentionally attempt to mislead readers in order to further their own causes. This means that the information found there is biased, or slanted to show only one side of an issue. When using resources from the Internet, it is very important that you carefully evaluate the content and the content provider and that you supplement the source with other non-Internet resources. Taking these precautions helps insure that you have a balanced collection of information from which to work.

Encyclopedias

Encyclopedias are one of the best places to begin exploring a topic that is unfamiliar to you. Why? Because they give a broad overview of the topic, which will help you understand it from a general perspective before you begin looking for more detailed information. Reading an encyclopedia article on your topic will also help you begin to familiarize yourself with the terms that are used to discuss that topic. Knowing some of these terms will make it easier to find more information on that subject in other resources. The World Book Encyclopedia is a good basic set; The Encyclopedia Britannica will often have somewhat longer articles with more detail. In either case, be sure to start with the index volume as there may be information on your topic found under headings you may not think of yourself. The index will tell you which volumes of the encyclopedia contain information on your topic.

Magazine and Journal Articles

Magazines and journals: what is the difference between the two? They are both considered to be a periodical, which means they are published more than once, or "periodically". Magazines are popular periodicals and include titles like Time, Sports Illustrated , and Money . They target a very general audience and can usually be found at bookstores and news stands.

Journals, on the other hand, are called scholarly periodicals and include titles such as the Journal of the American Medical Association , the Journal of Sports Sciences , and the International Journal of Applied Linguistics . They target a very specific audience and can usually only be purchased by subscription.

In general, articles from magazines and journals provide the most current information on a subject. Magazine articles are written for the lay person while journal articles may involve technical language familiar to people in a specific field.

Books

Why use books? They give more detailed information on a topic than many other sources such as periodicals and newspapers. Books that libraries collect are more reliable sources of information than many of the resources you will find on the Internet. This is because libraries strive to have a balanced collection of books on a wide variety of topics. Book authors often take years to research and publish their work, meaning that the information contained in them is a product of critical and reflective thinking.

The Importance of Solid Research

Why go to all the trouble?

As with most tasks, there is an easy way and a harder way. Certainly you can buy research papers off of the Internet, "borrow" from a friend, or use a number of other shortcuts which will perhaps get the job done. It may seem like a cliché to say that you are cheating yourself, but give it some thought.

As you have probably heard others say, there will be no other time in your life like the years you spend in college. This is a time you have for personal growth on many fronts, and one of those is intellectual. You have the opportunity to learn about a wide variety of things that the human race has discovered, created, and thought about throughout the course of its history. You are most certainly here to get a diploma and to prepare yourself for a successful career. One of the gateways for reaching all of these goals is the Vise University Library.

It is up to you to take your class assignments seriously and do your best work. The result of your investment will be not only grades of which you can be proud, but when you graduate, you will truly be a well-educated person. You will find that this will serve you well in your personal and professional life, as will the research skills you have learned.