WRTG 104: Research, Reading, and Writing (Towsley): Search Strategies

A database (数据库) is an online collection of information that a library subscribes to for its community. Often (not always), these databases will include full sources, like research articles, news sources, and ebooks. Databases that do not have full sources are used to identify relevant sources on a topic that can be found elsewhere.

Discover UR searches most of our University's 700+ databases and is usually the best place to start. But you may find it valuable to search our specialized databases as well.

Example: I try my keywords in Discover UR and there are many results, including 4 on the front page which look helpful. I try my keywords in another database and there are still many results, but the titles that show up on the front page are different so I find 2 additional helpful sources.

Example: I am researching the themes related to trauma and droughts in literature and art. Discover UR and google scholar are bringing me mostly sources related to psychology and environmental studies, so I search in databases related to the fields I am researching.

Example: I am looking for a specialized type of information (like a biography, a photograph, or a chemical equation) that is most easily found through discover UR.

Before you search, consider asking:

• What questions do I have about the topic that I am seeking to answer (this is where an outline can help)?
• What types of evidence am I looking for to answer my questions?
• What types of sources are most likely to have the information I am seeking?
• Who am I especially interested in learning from? Where are these conversations happening?
• What types of financial or social pressures might encourage someone to put out false information on this topic, and what might that look like?