Getting Started with Research
For an introduction to library research and information literacy, visit our Research Toolkit!
This guide covers:
- topic development
- developing search strategies
- use of databases and the Library catalog to find sources
- recognizing different types of sources
- source evaluation
- citation basics
- how to get help from the Library
- links to upcoming events and online collections
Library Databases
Databases include searchable indexes for for journals, newspapers, magazines and other collections, often grouped by discipline.
You can find links to all of our databases, as well as subject-specific research guides from our Articles and Databases guide.
Academic Search Complete, Research Library, and JSTOR are great databases to get started with, as they include information from a wide variety of subject areas. See below for links and videos showing how to use each of these databases.
- Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new windowSearch more than 13,300 periodicals, including full text for nearly 7,300 peer-reviewed journals. It features a mix of interdisciplinary scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers and books.
- Research Library This link opens in a new windowSearch more than 5,000 titles, over 3,500 in full text. It features a mix of interdisciplinary scholarly journals, trade publications, magazines, and newspapers.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowExcellent source for full text scholarly journal articles in history, economics, education, philosophy, literature, African studies, Asian studies, African American studies, sociology, political science, science, and psychology.