Information Search Guide

Use this guide to explore information resources in general or to find information resources for a writing project. When you are through, you can e-mail this search information to yourself. (Your instructor automatically receives your planning notes.)

For a detailed overview of information sources mentioned below, see the online textbook on information searching. Also, see Guide to Accessing Dog-Assisted Therapy (Mavis Klemcke, ACC libraries).

Two big seemingly all-encompassing resources:

To see how to set up your list of information sources that believe you'll, see the examples in How to Set up a Sources List.

Note: All of the links below open a separate browser window so that you can copy information and paste it in the boxes below. Just remember to close those separate windows as you finish with them.

1. What am I really looking for? In the box below, list your topic as one or more questions, and take notes on what kind of information you need (descriptions, technical information, history, analysis, etc.) and which aspects of the topic you want to focus on. Here's one place to start Choosing a topic (ACC LIbraries)
   
2. What are the keywords (search terms)? In the box below, list the keywords related to your topic. Identifying Keywords (ACC LIbraries)
   
3. Which information resources? In the box below, list which information resources (Internet, books, encyclopedias, magazines, journals, newsletters, product brochures, white papers, government documents, newspapers, etc.) are likely to have the best information topic for your topic and why. For the basics, see Which Information Resources to Use?
   
4. Informal unpublished nonprint sources? In the box below, list items on local experts you could interviews, knowledgeable individuals you could e-mail inquiries to, local facilities you could investigate, or surveys or questionnaires you could create and use:
   
5. Find a guide site on the Internet. A "guide" site contains links carefully selected and organized by real people—often by librarians, professors, and subject experts. Try finding a subject-specific guide site related to your topic at ACC Research Guides from Library Services, and take notes on what you find below:
   
6. What about encyclopedias and other reference books? Start with a current "general" encyclopedia such as the Britannica, World Book or Americana (and especially their "yearbooks") and look for articles related to your topic. Try online encyclopedias or resources for finding online encyclopedias such as Encyclopedia Britannica at www.britannica.com, Internet Public Library at www.ipl.org/ref/RR/static/ref2500.html, Refdesk.com: Encyclopedias at www.refdesk.com/factency.html. List items on each reference book you think you will use:
   
7. What about books and ebooks? To find books related to your topic, try the Library Information Services from Refdesk.com at www.refdesk.com/factlib.html; and of course the Library of Congress at catalog.loc.gov. List items on each book you think you will use. One good place to start: Finding Books and E-Books (ACC LIbraries)
   
8. What about articles in magazines and journals? Try finding materials on your topic in these resources:
   Try this as a starter: Finding Articles (ACC LIbraries)
   Go to a library and search Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature
   Find one or more indexes devoted to a single discipline or field (for example):

   Engineering Index Applied Science Technology Index Art Index Biological Agricultural Index Business Periodicals Index Education Index Essay and General Literature Index General Science Index Humanities Index, Social Sciences Index Biology Digest).
   Magazines and journals inexes in the Internet Public Library at www.ipl.org/reading/serials
   

   Create a sources list item on each magazine or journal article you think you will use.

9. What about newspapers and television news?. Try finding materials on your topic in these resources:
   Try starting with this ACC Libraries resource:Library Databases (ACC LIbraries). Go to Lesson 5 and 6 of 17.
   Internet Public Library at www.ipl.org/reading/news
   Refdesk.com at www.refdesk.com
   AJR Newslink from American Journalism Review at www.newslink.org
   TotalNews at www.totalnews.com
   Newspapers Online at www.newspapers.com NPR News at www.npr.org/
   ABC News at www.abcnews.com
   NBC News at www.nbc.com
   CNN at www.cnn.com
   CBC, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, at www. cbc.ca
   BBC, the British Broadcasting Corporation, at news.bbc.co.uk
   ZDNet www.zdnet.com (product reviews and specific industry developments)
   Newslibrary at www.newslibrary.com
   
   Create a sources list item on newspaper or television article you think you will use:
   
10. What about government documents? To search for government documents, try the National Technical Information Service at www.ntis.gov. Create a sources list item on each government doc you think you will use:
    
11. What about databases? Databases are huge containers of high-quality sources. They contain credible, professionally published articles. In the box below, take notes on what you find: Library Databases (ACC LIbraries). Go to Lesson 9 of 17.
    
12. What about brochures and other product literature? Try using the Thomas Register of American Manufacturers at https://www.thomasnet.com/ to see what companies are related to your topic; take notes on what you find in the box below:
    
13. Explain how your report plans have changed (if they have)? If anything is going to cause changes in your report plans, it's the information search. In the box below, explain how your topic, audience, purpose, and/or report type have changed. No change? Just enter "No change".
    

Note: For other research questions, go to library.austincc.edu/