It’s Week 2, and as you are reviewing your assignment rubric, you notice the requirement to find scholarly sources in the Chamberlain Library. So, naturally, you head on over to the library website. You enter a few keywords for your topic in the Search Everything box on the homepage and select search—2,800 results pop up! Your first thought: I don’t have time to sift through all that. So, what now? Don’t worry—We’ve got the solution for you!
You contact us, your friendly librarians, by visiting the Get Research Help guide—the button is in the upper-right corner of the library website. You can chat with us, text us, email us, or meet with us. But wait! What about after hours? We got you covered. Our website is full of helpful instructions and tutorials for conducting research in the library. Of course, you have to know your way around the library website first to find it all.
This is where we hope these blog posts will come in handy. As you read in 5 tips for getting the most out of your library, we recently launched our Tips of the Week blog series. This idea sparked after reviewing transcripts from our Librarian Chat, where we noticed the same questions popping up. To better meet your needs, we realized we could answer many of these questions with helpful links to research guides, FAQs, and videos on our library website. So, during our busiest weeks, we’re bringing those resources straight to you through these blog posts!
Before diving into the tips, here is a quick caveat: We are here to help you with search strategies. If you need help understanding the assignment, please contact your professor. That said, below is everything you need to know about Week 2 research.
Tip 1: Get to Know Your Library
One of the most common questions we receive during this time is how to get started. Before you reach out, we recommend watching our Getting to Know Your Library playlist.
The videos in this playlist demonstrate the following:
- How to navigate the library
- How to connect with us
- How to find and use library research guides
- How to search for articles, newspapers and eBooks
Tip 2: Find Peer-Reviewed Articles
You may have to find peer-reviewed journal articles to use as evidence for your assignments. Our How do I find peer-reviewed articles FAQ provides an overview of the peer review process and instructions on finding peer-reviewed articles in the library. Additionally, it explains how to check if an article is peer-reviewed through the publisher’s website.
Tip 3: Learn to Use Databases
Some assignments may require you to find sources in specific databases. While our Search Everything box on the library homepage searches across many of our databases, you have to access the individual database to search that one only. You can access the Database A to Z page from the homepage. But before you do, watch our Database Search Strategies playlist for videos describing our databases and the best search methods.
Tip 4: Search Health Statistics Online
From learning more about diseases and conditions, identifying health disparities, and impacting policy and change, accurate health statistics are vital to healthcare. You may find some health statistics in peer-reviewed articles. Still, this information is typically collected by the government or other organizations, meaning you must search their websites for the statistics you need. The sites listed in our Finding Health Statistics guide are just examples of where you can find statistics. Sometimes, a quick Google search is a great place to start!
Tip 5: Do a Title Search
Have a title of an article you need to read? Check out our How to find an article by title FAQ to see if the library has it! Sometimes, there are no results when you search for a specific title, which usually means the library does not have access. If you want to search by the journal instead, review the How do I search for a specific journal title or an article in a journal FAQ for instructions.
And, of course, if you still need assistance, please contact us!