General Studies 121: Researching Research

1. Campus libraries
   • Libraries Home Page [http://library.wustl.edu]
   • Ask us! | Subject Librarians
2. Possible starting points - because you often need to learn a bit about a subject before you can begin
   • People | Expertise at WU | American Men & Women of Science | Scirus; search on name or keyword and Information Type = "Scientist Homepage"
   • Books: Catalog [http://catalog.wustl.edu] - includes links to Danforth Campus Catalog; Becker Medical Catalog, MOBIUS Catalog and WorldCatalog | Amazon Search Inside the Book
   • Reference Sources and specialized sources | Dictionaries | Biology Dictionaries | Wikipedia?
   • A list of search tools
3. Journal indexes and other databases
   • QuickSearch
   • Databases | Sciences Databases
   • Top picks: Academic Search Premier (Ebscohost) | Compendex | GeoBase | GeoRef | Google Scholar | Inspec | JSTOR (interdisciplinary older materials, all fulltext) | PubMed | PsycInfo | SciFinder | Scirus | Web of Science |
   • Fulltext options: Some databases have links or finding tools built in, such as Get it! buttons, OR use these strategies to determine if we have access to a particular journal. NOTE: Search by the title of the journal, NOT the author or title of the article in the journal.
     1. Electronic Journals list
     2. Library Catalog of Danforth Campus Libraries | If you only want online journal info, search title of the journal + online, e.g. Science online, Journal of molecular biology online
     3. Search or lists at the Becker Medical Library Catalog
4. Quick tips on searching - Ask for assistance!
   • Use help?; truncation, boolean operators, etc. will vary; Common keyword strategy; Boolean logic (PubMed)
   • Use more than one search tool; try specialized sites or selective sites
   • Think about your strategy; choose unusual words; be flexible; learn from your results
   • Don't believe everything you read; consider the source.
5. Tutorials - (not exhaustive - just to get you started)
   • Research Help | Guide to Library Research | Using Primary and Secondary Sources
   • Recommended Search Strategy: Analyze Your Topic & Search With Peripheral Vision (UC Berkeley)
   • Look for Help or Tutorial links in specific search tools and databases