Once you identify the research topic and identify background information, you can begin to locate resources. It is important to keep in mind that a wealth of information continues to exist outside the Internet. Libraries are an excellent resource and contain vast amounts of print media in the form of books, newspapers, and journal articles. As you become more experienced and pursue an undergraduate degree, you will be expected to blend online research with print resources. You can use the keywords that you identified in the initial stage to search for suitable resources. Here are some suggestions for finding suitable print resources:
- Public Library
Are you a member of a public library in Massachusetts? If yes, then you can access many of the libraries' databases online. In Springfield, for example, all you need is a valid library ID number. To view the databases available at the Springfield Public Libraries, click here. To enter the database, you simply need to enter in your library ID number. You can also access the Springfield Library's Online Resources page with links to free newspapers, magazines and journals. - Google Books & Scholar
Before you head to the library, you can use Google Books or Google Scholar to uncover potential resources. Google is collaborating “with several major libraries to include their collections in Google Book Search and, like a card catalog, show users information about the book” (Google Books Library Project, 2008). Google Scholar, on the other hand, is designed to provide users with a “simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. From one place, you can search across many disciplines and sources: peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, abstracts and articles, from academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories, universities and other scholarly organizations” (Google Scholar, 2008). - Directory of Open Access Journals
The Directory of Open Access Journals "aims to be comprehensive and cover all open access scientific and scholarly journals that use a quality control system to guarantee the content. In short a one stop shop for users to Open Access Journals" (2012). Through this online tool, you can find peer-reviewed research articles from a variety of journals.