Tips about Research Tools (Ball State University Libraries)

• Think about the types of resources you might want to use in your research. Do you need expert opinions? Newspaper accounts? Statistics? Images? Video clips? Which tool will help you find the type of information you need?
• Think about who would be likely to study the topic you are studying. What kinds of scholars would be interested? Biologists? Political policy makers? Teachers? Nurses? Sociologists? This will help you determine the subject areas and databases you’ll need to search in.
• If you need broad coverage of a topic, consider a book (whether a regular type of book or a reference book). Remember, you do not need to read the whole book to make use of it!
• Databases provide articles, which are more focused; testing and proving a very specific thesis statement or research question. Articles may not cover everything you need to say in a paper, but they may contribute to one of your main points.

Ball State University Library Databases

CardCat

CardCat Help

For more information about research tools, see Research JumpStart: http://www.bsu.edu/libraries/tilt/module1/tilt.htm