RESEARCH: HELP

'Our treasure lies in the beehive of our knowledge. We are perpetually on the way thither, being by nature winged insects and honey gatherers of the mind.'-Friedrich Nietzsche

Common Problems...Research Stumbling Blocks

What to do when things go wrong...

1. Not knowing your question.
• Try doing the beginning your research exercise again, and go and see a reference librarian. they are there to help you with this type of stuff.

2. Too much information.
• Your topic may be too broad. For example, you are looking at sustainable energy, maybe focus on a geographical location (the Northwest) or a type of energy (Hydroelectricity)

3. Not enough information.
• Your topic might be too narrow, try broadening it. Change, Grand Coolie Dam in Washington to Dams in Washington.
• You might be searching the wrong databases. You might be in ERIC, when you want to be in Ebscohost
• Use keywords and not subject, because keywords search natural language where subjects search a set list of text
• Change your keywords around
4. Relying on one type of source material.
• Try not to limit yourself to using only academic journals or books. There is a wealth of information on most topics available in reference books, documentaries, and sound recordings.
• Make sure to use some primary sources.
5. Not knowing how to use a search engine
Try not to assume you know how to browse the web
• Learn how search engines search: Google ranks hits by the number of links on its site. See the internet search tips section for help.
• Learn Boolean Operators to help narrow your search field in the world wide web