Library Research: An Introduction - George Brown College Library ...

Library Research:
An Introduction
Welcome to the Library, the place to start and complete all your research needs! Here are
some of the essential steps required for academic research.
DEFINING YOUR TOPIC: Think about the main concepts and keywords that describe
your topic. These keywords will form the basis for searching and finding information about
your topic in the library catalogue, online databases, and other resources.
For the research topic “What is the relationship between violence and the media?” we might
use keywords such as: violence, brutality, media, television, tv
SEARCHING STRATEGIES: When doing research, use AND to connect two different
concepts. Example: violence AND media
SELECTING & LOCATING RESOURCES: Think about what type of information you need
for this research.
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias are a great place to start your research and are helpful
for finding definitions, overviews, background information and basic facts.
1. Start at the GBC Library website, then
click Find Materials
2. Click Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
3. To access a specific resource, click on
the title (Example: Encyclopedia
Britannica)
** Your library login is required for offcampus
access to library databases,
check here for details.
Once you have some background information, you may want to move onto more focused
coverage of a topic.
Books and E-books can be found through the Library Catalogue and provide in-depth
information, related topics and historical discussions.
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1. From the GBC Library website, click the
Books tab and search for books and e-
books using keywords.
2. Remember it is helpful to star with a
general search (Example: violence = 390
books titles), then add keywords to narrow
your search (Example: violence AND media
= 24 titles).
Check out our "How to Find a Book" tutorial or use our Search Tips for details on how to
search the Library Catalogue by: Keyword, Author, and Title.
Articles are helpful for finding highly specific information on a topic, new research in the
field, and information on current events. To locate articles, you will need to search within
a database. Select a library database that covers your general subject area. For step by step
instructions, check out our tutorial “How to Find an Article”!
1. Using the GBC Library website, search
for Articles & Databases by Subject Area.
*If you’re not sure what area to select, try
General.
2. Use keywords you might expect to find
in the title or subject of the article.
** Remember, if you receive too many
results, add keywords that are more
specific (using AND). If you don’t receive
enough results, try being more broad
(using OR). Example: media OR tv.
Websites are also useful resources but remember, when searching the internet it is very
important to critically evaluate the information you find. Check out some recommended
websites by subject using our Research Guides and check out our guide on Evaluating
Websites for helpful hints!
CITING YOUR SOURCES is an essential part of college research. Any information (including
ideas!) that you did not create yourself must be credited using a citation method. Check out
our guides to citation styles, including APA and MLA as well as our citation tutorials.
** If you have any questions please let us know, the library is here to help:
via email via chat via phone in person TTY
http://library.georgebrown.ca/
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