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

Does a UW library have the source that you need?

You can use the UW Libraries Catalog to determine if the UW Libraries has the book, journal, microfilm, video, or other source that you want. Note that there are more than 18 UW Libraries. Make sure that you go to the library listed in the catalog record. Take the call number with you so that you can find the item once you get there.
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Books

You can search the UW Libraries Catalog by title, author, or keywords to find books held here. You can limit your keyword search by language, library location, and date of publication.

The catalog record will give the citation for the book, the library location, call number, and availability (if it is currently available for check out).

What if the UW Libraries does not own the book that you need?

• Summit:
  Summit combines the library catalogs of 30+ academic libraries in Oregon and Washington State, including the UW Libraries Catalog and the UW Law Library Catalog. UW students, faculty, and staff can request books from these institutions online through this catalog.

  You can search Summit in two ways: 1) go directly to the Summit catalog and conduct your search. 2) conduct a search in the UW Libraries catalog. If we do not have the book or it is checked out, you can click the Search Summit button to see if another Cascade library has it.

  Either way, once you get to the book's catalog record, click through to see which libraries have it and if it is available, then click the link to "REQUEST THIS ITEM". Fill out the necessary information. Books usually arrive within 3 business days.

• OCLC WorldCat Local:
  This beta/test catalog contains the UW Libraries Catalog, Summit Catalog, and holdings for libraries in the US and abroad.

  Use the "Request Item" button to borrow books from other libraries. If the book is available in a Summit library, you will be connected to that Catalog to use the "REQUEST THIS ITEM" link (see Interlibrary Loan section below). If the book is available at another US or international library, you will be connected to the Interlibrary Loan request form.

• Interlibrary Loan:
  If you cannot find a book in the UW Libraries or a Summit library, Interlibrary Loan will get it for you. Simply login to the system using the Login using UWNetID link and fill out the form. Interlibrary Loan usually receives the books within 1-3 weeks. This is a free service for UW students, faculty, and staff on upper Seattle campus.

Journal or Newspaper Articles

Many of the research databases include the complete text (fulltext) of the articles; however, some only provide abstracts of the articles. In these cases, you will need to see if the article text is available through another online source or in paper form in a UW library.

To discover if the UW has a copy of the journal, click the button that should appear in your search results. If the button doesn't appear, then search the UW Libraries Catalog to determine if we own the journal or newspaper either online or in print.

The catalog record will give the citation for the journal, the library location, call number, and availability. The record will also include links to electronic versions (fulltext) when they are available. Note that journals can be in print, microform, or electronic formats.

What if the UW Libraries does not own the journal or newspaper that you need?

• Interlibrary Loan:
  If you cannot find a journal or newspaper in the UW Libraries, Interlibrary Loan will get an electronic pdf copy or a photocopy of the article for you. Simply login to the system using the Login using UWNetID link and fill out the form. If you selected to receive articles as pdf when you created your Interlibrary Loan account, they will attempt to get pdfs for you. If pdfs are not available, a photocopy with be made and faxed here for you. This is a free service for UW students, faculty, and staff on upper Seattle campus.

Step 6: Evaluating Sources