- Get started!
- Step 1: Understand your assignment
- Step 2: Select a topic, design a research strategy
- Step 3: Find, review, and evaluate resources
- Step 4: Outline project and write your first draft
- Step 5: Conduct additional research as necessary
- Step 6: Revise, rewrite and format your paper
Library & Research Help
- Research Help:
Ask Us! - Email:
asklib@lesley.edu
Starting the Research Process
- Need background info? Credo Reference is a great alternative to Wikipedia. Why? You will find published, specialized encyclopedia articles here that can give you a thorough introduction to unfamiliar aspects of your research topic.
- Need books? Try Lesley's @LL Search, which searchs ALL library materials but allows you to limit your search to books available at Lesley's libraries,if that is what you are looking for! Or, search the FLO catalog. As a member of the Fenway Libraries Online (FLO) consortium, you have access not only to Lesley University’s libraries, but to nine other Boston area academic libraries as well. Unless otherwise specified, you can request any item from a consortium member library to be delivered to Lesley’s own Sherrill Library for checkout.
- Looking for articles? Check out our Databases by Subject page to find the best database for your discipline (Or start with our favorite general database, Academic Search Premier).
Search
Search
Keyword Searching
Using AND
- Use AND to tie the keywords in your research topic/question together: women AND work
Using OR
- To search for SIMILAR keywords, use OR: (college OR university) AND stress
The above search tells the database that you want all of the articles that contain college AND stress, as well as all the articles that contain university AND stress.
When you use OR, you'll want to put your similar keywords into parentheses, to ensure that the database does not get them mixed up with the keywords you are tying together with AND.
Using truncation (*) and (?)
- Truncation allows you to search for the root of a word with any ending. Most databases use the asterisk (*), but FLO catalog uses the question mark (?).
- For example: When you type child*, it includes the following words: child, childs, children, childrens, childhood, childhoods, childless, childlessness, etc.
Keyword Searching Tutorial
Still not clear on ANDs, ORs and Truncation? Watch the following video tutorial to see them in action!
Evaluating Resources
- The original CRAAP TestA Lesley librarian favorite, the CRAAP test (Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose) is a great tool for determining whether a resource you've found is authoritative, in the context in which you would like to use it.
- Purdue OWL on evaluating sourcesA very readable discussion on evaulating sources, with tips for sifting through the massive amount of information you may find in your research!
