What do we mean by academic searching? You might have had a professor ask you to find a scholarly source or a peer-reviewed article for an assignment. These are both part of the academic searching process. Academic searching is iterative, meaning that steps of the process should be performed multiple times as you refine what you're looking for.
The Research Process, explained:
- Select your topic/develop your question. Start the process by selecting a broad topic to research more. This may already be given by your instructor in the form of an assignment. You may also have a broad question you would like to explore more and answer through research.
- Search for materials to support your research. Use keywords from your topic or initial question to search for initial information (preferably using the Library QuickSearch!)
- Refine your search keywords and repeat. If you get more than 100 results, you'll need to narrow your topic. Add relevant keywords to your search until you start seeing more precise results. If you're getting very few results, you should broaden your topic. Repeat this step until you have found enough information to support your topic or question.
- Evaluate your sources. Peer review is a process in which an author's peers reviews a publication for accuracy in results and methodology. This is done in the hopes that information will be accurate when it is released. Learn more about how to find peer-reviewed articles.
- Cite your sources. Make sure you provide details on where you get your information. This is to make sure the information is accurate and to ensure that each person is credited for their own work. Citations can be formatted in several different ways depending on the chosen style (usually designated by your instructor).
What's wrong with google?
Google is great at finding information from many different places very quickly. It can be a great tool when looking for certain types of information--think finding hours for your favorite pizza place or a local news report. When it comes to research within your field, though, Google tends to fall short. There are three main reasons for this:
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Lack of quality control. Google provides many results, but gives no indication of whether the results are scholarly or not. Most often, Google Search results will not be peer-reviewed (If you don't know this phrase, that's ok! See your Research Glossary) and not fit to use in your work.
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Lack of access. When you do find scholarly sources through Google (typically through Google Scholar), it is likely you will not be able to access the full text of that item. The library picks the best resources for your field so that you can access it directly. When we don't have a book or article available, we can usually request it from another library to have sent to you!
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Biased search results. Google tailors its search results to the user, meaning any results you find could be biased. You might see results that favor your opinion or that are promoted by businesses through Google. In your work, you should always be looking at all sides of an issue before coming to a conclusion--something you can't do if your research eliminates certain perspectives from the start!
Would you want your doctor to be treating you based only on Google research?
Keep reading to learn how to find better results through library resources!