Getting Started with your Research Aims By the end of the session you should be able to Select relevant keywords or search terms for successful information searching Identify relevant sources of information Fully utilise library services and sources of help

Defining the Subject  Clarify your topic  How can you break it down  Define your scope - Publication date - Range – type of documents - Geography - language

Keywords  Synonyms  Related terms  Alternative spelling or American terms  Singular/plural  Acronyms and abbreviations  Broader and narrower terms

What Information Sources shall I use? General or Secondary Sources Specific or Primary Sources Encyclopaedias Yearbooks Dictionaries Wikis Books Journal Articles Newspaper Articles DVDs Blogs Statistics Specialist databases Research

Where to look for Information Sources Subject Guides - online - print Digital Library Subject Pages

You don’t have what I need The library may not necessarily have all the information that you need. Order books and articles on Inter-library Loan Visit other libraries Allow plenty of time!

Further Help Book an appointment with your subject team - advice of specialist information sources - selecting appropriate subject terms Other Lunchtime in the Library session - Using the Internet - Digital Library - Using journals - How Do I reference

Finally… …Don’t Panic… …Good Luck!