WHERE DO I LOOK?

Crystal Palace by Paxton, London, United Kingdom, 1851,
© CAPLA, The University of Arizona

We hear so much about information overload these days, it makes research seem scary. So many sources; where to start?

A good first stop is the SABIO Gateway. From the gateway, you can access the Library's catalog, look up articles in online databases, find links chosen by subject specialists and much more. You can also search the World Wide Web using search engines.

Where to look depends on what you need. If you want to know what books or journals the Library owns, use the Library Catalog. If you want articles from journals, the online databases will provide citations, abstracts, and even some articles full-text.

Other factors influence where to find the information you need.

Timeliness of topic: Are you looking for a historical perspective or the most contemporary thought? Do you want biographical information about someone who died some time ago, or someone currently active? For example, an influential architect like Frank Lloyd Wright has had a number of books written about him and it would be safe to guess that the Library would own some. The catalog would be a good choice. A more current name, like Steve Martino, might not have had books written about him yet, but there will be journal articles about his projects, and so online databases would be a better choice.

Level of scholarship: Instructors will often make assignments with the requirement of articles from scholarly journals. Students sometimes have difficulty telling the difference between a scholarly journal and a popular magazine. Here are some links to make telling the difference easy:

Distinguishing Scholarly Journals from Other Periodicals from Cornell University

Popular vs. Trade vs. Scholarly from Colorado State University Libraries

Move on to Searching to learn how to search, or go back to Choosing Your Topic, Materials or Where Do I Look.

Research Methods