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Library Research Tutorial

Topic Exploration

Topic Exploration

Sometimes it's difficult to choose a topic. Or, maybe you've chosen a topic but need to learn more about it.

Try some of these resources to get you started learning about your topic before searching for information sources.

 

Searching Online

Try searching on the internet to expand your knowledge of your topic.

Google - start searching with what you know already about your topic, even if its simply a word or two! Be aware that not everything you see on the internet will be "credible" information, so remember that at this stage you are only trying to learn more about your topic, not gather information sources.

Wikipedia - this is a great site to get background information on your topic, like history, important people, professional organizations and even a reference list that might be useful to you! Go to wikipedia.org to get started.

 

Library Databases

Try searching in the following databases to discover more about your topic. Databases are wonderful resources that can help you explore various sub-topics within your main topic, various points of view related to your topic, and lots of background information, and even provide you with information sources.