Introduction

In Brief: Research Topic

Step 1: Search Terms

Step 2: Search Strategy

In Brief: Primary & Secondary Sources

Step 3: Finding Books

Step 4: Finding Articles

Step 5: Locating Sources

Step 6: Evaluating Sources

Step 7: Using Information Effectively

These pages will help you to identify, locate, and evaluate information for this and other digital media courses.

The literature search is an iterative process: once a researcher finds a source (book, article, government publication, etc.), he or she uses it as a guide to find more sources. The names of authors, the subjects under which the source was indexed, and specific references in the source itself all can be used to point to other relevant literature.

After developing a research topic, the literature search basically involves five steps:

1. developing search terms (keywords and/or subject headings) that you can use when searching for information in print or electronic reference sources.
2. selecting research tools.
3. locating sources in the UW Libraries.
4. evaluating the information for relevance.
5. using the information effectively.

Now we can begin the library search walk-through with a brief look at Developing a Research Topic.