Define your Topic | Select & Search an Article Database | Get Articles | Footnotes & Bibliographies | Need Help? Just Ask!

 

Define your Topic

1. Get an overview
   • Encyclopedias provide an overview or definition of your topic.
   • Bonus: Often includes lists of major articles.
     
     
2. Write down your topic as a statement or question
   • e.g. How does income level affect health ?
     
     
3. Find key concepts
   • Circle/highlight the important words or concepts in your topic statement.
   • e.g. How does income level affect health ?
     
     
4. Find synonyms, related words and alternate spellings e.g.

   income wealth poverty poor middle class homeless

   health healthy illness sickness medical hospitalization

   
   
5. Note limits of your topic
   • Focus: broad? narrow?
   • Geographical: Canadian? U.S.? other?
   • Time period: recent articles? older articles?
   • Type of article :
     • scholarly ( academic , refereed , peer reviewed )?
     • popular (magazines)?
     • news/current events

 

Select & Search an Article Database

1. Choose a database
   • Start at the Library homepage
   • Click the "Databases" tab
   • Find a database by name or subject
     
     
2. Search an Article Database
   • You can search most article databases using keywords (or your "key concepts" as described above).
   • Remember to use the limits available to narrow your focus (publication date, geographical region etc.)
   • Use the "One Good Article" strategy: find one good article, then use the "subject headings" or "descriptors" to find more on the topic.

 

Get Articles

1. Click the button to view all your options for how to get ahold of the article.
   • If we have an online subscription to the journal, you should see an option to get the full-text of the article at the top of the menu.
   • If we don't have an online subscription to the journal, your first option will be to search the Library Catalogue for the print version of the journal. Don't forget to check the Catalogue record to make sure that we have the volume/issue you need! Write down the call number and proceed to the periodicals collection at the appropriate library (the record will tell you what the journal is held at).
     
     
2. Search an Article Database
   • You can search most article databases using keywords (or your "key concepts" as described above).
   • Remember to use the limits available to narrow your focus (publication date, geographical region etc.)
   • Use the "One Good Article" strategy: find one good article, then use the "subject headings" or "descriptors" to find more on the topic.

 

Footnotes & Bibliographies:

APA Style Guide
Guide to Citing Maps and Atlases
How to Write Bibliographic Citations for Government Publications
MLA Style Guide
Turabian (Chicago) Style Guide
Style Guides in the Arts and Humanities

 

Need Help? Just Ask!