Counseling

When starting a research project, it can be beneficial to explore topics broadly.  Once you've identified a topic, take the time to get to know more. This is called gathering Background or Exploratory Research. It helps you: 

• Gain familiarity with a topic
• Identify different perspectives on a topic
• Identify the experts, researchers, and scholars that work in the field  
• Identify specialized terms or jargon that can be used for searches later

Here are some sources of background information to consider:

• Encyclopedias
  • Encyclopedias provide background information on a wide range of subjects. Use the database Credo to search in multiple encyclopedias at once. 
• Newspapers & magazines
  • Newspapers and magazines often document the reactions, perspectives and opinions of an event around the time it happened. They can help you learn more about a culture, time period, and provide historical perspective to past events. Here are the databases that SMC owns that contains newspapers.
• Internet
  • Google - Search engines like Google can lead you to both good and bad information. Be critical of the websites you visit. 
  • Wikipedia - Wikipedia is a useful resource to start learning more about a topic, but remember that anyone can edit Wikipedia. Use the References of Further Readings at the end of an entry to verify information within the article. 

STILL PICKING A TOPIC? START HERE:

CLEAR ON YOUR TOPIC? START LOOKING FOR ARTICLES: 

Download a PDF of this Work Flow

Library Search includes books on the shelf and ebooks you can read online (plus much more).

After you start a search, you can use the filters on the search results page to focus your search.

Even if you will need to use scholarly articles in your actual project, it can be helpful to get a wider understanding of your topic from books, encyclopedias, or handbooks. 

You can search the Library Search for books available in print or as e-books. If you online want print or e-book, you can use the lefthand filters to limit the search results by format.

• If SMC does not own the item you are looking for, you can order it from Interlibrary Loan: a service that is free to students, and receive books, book chapters, and articles within 5 business days.