Keywords

Using keywords effectively is an important step in learning how to find articles.  Several tips for deciding which keywords to use are:

• Focus on the main ideas in your research question
  • For example in the research question, "What are the benefits of using electric cars as opposed to gas-powered cars?", the main ideas are electric cars and gas-powered cars.
• Know what fields the database you're using searches - does it search just the title, abstract, and author-supplied keywords or does it search the full text of the article?
• Use vocabulary that is appropriate for the type of article you are looking for - newspapers use more general vocabulary, but scholarly articles use more academic terms.

All of these things will impact how well your keywords will match up with what you are trying to find.

Using reference information sources

Reference information sources can be helpful when beginning the research process. They can give you a working knowledge of your chosen subject area.

• You can gain a broad and general understanding of the topic, or background information.
• You can learn the important names, key facts, issues and debates, and answers to questions.
• You can get familiar with the vocabulary of the subject area so you can understand new terminology and formulate good keyword searches.

Types of reference information sources

There are many different kinds of reference information sources, and each is useful for finding a certain type of information.

Dictionaries

• Provide word definitions and other information about words. There are many other types of dictionaries. 
  • A bilingual dictionary translations from one language to another.
  • A thesaurus contains synonyms, and often antonyms, for words.
  • An etymological dictionary contains historical word origins.
  • A subject dictionary is a good source for longer and more in-depth definitions using the vocabulary of a particular area of study.

Encyclopedias

• Provide brief articles explaining a topic. There are general encyclopedias like Encyclopedia Britannica and Wikipedia. There are also subject-specific encyclopedias that provide detailed, advanced and technical content in a particular area of study.

Atlases

• Contain maps that associate different types of data (e.g., populations, politics, etc.) with geography. There are different types of maps available.
  • Political maps show countries, states or provinces, counties, cities, towns, and villages.
  • Road maps show streets, roads, and highways.
  • Topographical maps show the lay of the land.
  • Demographic maps show population statistics.
  • Historical maps compare geographical and political information across eras.

Gazetteers

• Contain geographical information (often using latitude and longitude coordinates) that is cross-referenced with demographic, political, historical, and other kinds of information. Gazetteers may be included in atlases but there are also standalone gazetteers that do not contain maps.

Almanacs

• Annual publications that contain time sensitive information about geography and politics, economic data, astronomical data, world records, tides, weather, statistics, etc.

Directories

• Contain contact information for persons, organizations or companies. They may also contain descriptions of those entities.     
• Some kinds of directories contain "how to locate" information for data or documents.

Biographical Resources

• Contain information about the lives and accomplishments of notable people in various fields of achievement or areas of study. 

Manuals

• Contain technical how-to information on everything from operating a device to performing a sophisticated task, such as repairing a car.         

Handbooks and Guides

• Contain detailed, advanced information about a particular subject area. This can include facts about a subject or instructions for operating a device or completing a procedure.

Guides to the Literature and Annotated Bibliographies

• List and describe information sources (e.g., books, articles, etc.) in a particular subject area.
• They may be exhaustive (include everything) or selective.
• Bibliographies of web resources are sometimes called Internet bibliographies or pathfinders.​.

Do not cite reference information sources