Graduate Resource Room

I like to suggest doing a basic Google search. Look at blogs and other current think pieces on your content area. Gather some context and the basic editorial answers (who, what, where, why), to get a feel for where you may be going with your research paper. This is a great way to get a feel for the current landscape of the area you will be searching.

Once you've got an idea of what you'll be searching, jump in to the databases on the CUNE library website. You can find information in the Search and Discover! box on the home page, however, for an easier time, I suggest going straight into the databases. Below is a breakdown of how to use our most common databases, and you should review these videos before starting your research.

Finding Articles (Using Academic Search Premier)

In this video (which currently shows the old library page setup- use the "view databases" link under the Quick Links box), you will learn about the basic act of "finding" articles. Just getting a results list sometimes can show you there's more out there than you realized, or the process isn't quite so difficult. Watch this video to get the hang of maneuvering an EBSCOhost Database, and get a feel for how databases work, in general.

Judging Articles (Using Academic Search Premier)

In this video (the sequel to the above "Finding Articles") you'll learn the next steps of using articles, once you've found them. Judging which article is worth checking out, and how to use tools provided on the Article Page

Using JSTOR

In this video (which currently shows the old library page setup, use the "view databases" link under the Quick Links box), you will learn about the basic act of "finding" articles. Just getting a results list sometimes can show you there's more out there than you realized, or the process isn't quite so difficult. Watch this video to get the hang of maneuvering JSTOR.

Article Access

To learn more about searching for a specific article or journal, please visit our Article Access guide before placing an interlibrary loan request. This is a great guide to visit if you found an article online or in a bibliography and want to see if you can access the full text through CUNE databases.

Using keywords in your search is an art. It can be difficult to figure out which keywords are the best, most efficient, or actually connect us to the content we're looking for. The video below will walk you through the process of developing some keywords from your research topic.

Once you've established your search terms pay attention to the articles that are returned. In most cases they will list Subject Terms, Major Subjects, Minor Subjects, or even Author Supplied Keywords to help you identify which words or phrases are associated with that specific article (the title is dictated by database, they serve the same function, regardless). Using these words, or creating a list of these words to continue your search can be a major benefit. Use the words listed here in a new search, or swap out words in your search to see how the results change.