1. MAFT 7046 Research & Resources
Megan Lowe, Coordinator of Public Services

2. Where to Begin? At the Beginning!
Let’s say you need some resources for your research, whether you’re writing a research paper or a thesis or a dissertation. You know you need a lot of information, but you’re not quite sure how or where to start.
Your impulse might be to start with Google or Bing, but instead, first consider what you need to find:
quality, credible resources for
literature reviews and research studies

3. Narrowing What You Need
Of course, “marriage and family therapy” is a rather broad topic. Even if you narrow it to a particular aspect – such as marital counseling – that’s still very broad. You need to narrow it further to make the research more manageable.
You can narrow the topic further by considering different populations (race, age, ethnicity, etc.), types of study (qualitative vs. quantitative), and timeframe (1980s, the last ten years, etc.).

4. Some Narrower Concepts
marital counseling
spouses
unmarried couples
family counseling
children
siblings
marriage counseling
family therapy
relationships
conflict
resolution
infidelity
extramarital
affair
communication
couples therapy
premarital counseling
Intervention(s)

5. Just a few tips before we search…
Keyword searching is how you’re going to be conducting most of your searching. Keyword searching is the combination of key words (get it?) with operators (AND, OR, and NOT) to produce search strings
Those narrower concepts we looked at earlier are actually keywords
When using phrases – like couple conflict – you need to put the phrase in quotation marks:
“marital counseling”

6. Search string: examples
counseling and marriage
“marital counseling” and “unmarried couple”
therapy and couple and infidelity
“extramarital affair” and counseling OR therapy
infidelity and marriage NOT divorce
* Use AND not + or &. Pay attention to number (singular vs. plural) and spelling.

7. A few more tips… DO create a list of keywords
DO underline/highlight/bookmark
DO take notes/sticky notes
DO get organized
DON’T multitask
DON’T procrastinate
DON’T plagiarize

8. So we start with the Library’s website
LET’S DO THIS
We know we need scholarly resources on interpersonal communication, specifically the topic couple conflict.
We know the keywords and search strings we can use.
We have the skills we need to get started.
So we start with the Library’s website

9. What If the Library Doesn’t Have It?
As huge as the Library is, and as large as our collections are, we still don’t have everything
When you discover a resource that you NEED but the Library doesn’t have, there’s a way to get it
The Library has a (free!) service called Interlibrary Loan (ILL for short)
With ILL, we borrow needed materials from partner libraries and lend those materials to you

10. Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
In order to request an item through ILL, you will have to set up an ILL account (which I’ll demonstrate shortly)
Please note: it can take some time to receive requested materials
Articles can be sent via fax or (so, fast)
Books and other materials like that come through the mail; sometimes those requests take 2-4 weeks to fill
(this is a good reason why you should never procrastinate w/research!)

11. Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
Please note: some libraries charge to lend; the Library does NOT pay those fees
But we will notify you if a lending library has fees, and
Help you make arrangements to pay the fees
The Library will NEVER borrow an item with a fee without discussing it with you first!
NOW LET’S LOOK AT ILL!

12. After the Searching’s Done…
You have the resources you need, either digitally or physically, if you’ve printed them out
This is when underlining/highlighting comes into play, as well as notes and sticky notes
Documentation is also important, in order to avoid plagiarism – several of our databases (like Ebscohost) will generate citations for you

13. Need a Hand?
If you need help with the research process – at ANY point in the research process – you can ask the librarians for assistance – that’s what we do!
We also check documentation (quotations and citations) for accuracy.
If you’d like someone to check your writing (grammar, spelling, and syntax), you can go to the Write Place
I also proof/edit papers, but remember: it takes time!

14. RECAP
When doing research, make sure you have a manageable (narrow) topic.
Create a list of keywords and search strings.
Bear in mind that you need scholarly resources, which can be found in the Library.
Search the Library’s resources using the keywords and search strings, bearing in mind the tips we discussed.
Make sure you document your resources!

15. RECAP
Select databases based on your research needs – for a class like this, marriage & family therapy databases work well, but so do psychology databases (and think outside the box)!
Use parameters like “scholarly/peer-reviewed” and “full text” – and even publication date – to make the results lists more manageable
Some databases will create citations FOR you – take advantage of that for accurate citations!

16. RECAP
Most of the Library’s resources are available OFF- CAMPUS (aka remotely); you will have to login in order to use those resources (CWID/MMYY)
If the Library does NOT have a resource you need, you may still be able to get it through ILL
But ILL is not a same-day service, so be sure to give yourself time, and don’t procrastinate w/research
ILL is free on the Library’s end, but some libraries charge; the Library won’t pay the fees but will notify you and help you make arrangements to pay

17. RECAP The librarians can help you with research, from start to finish!
The librarians can also help you with citations and documentation.
The Write Place can help you with writing – they can check spelling, grammar, and syntax.
Most of these services can be found on the 1st floor of the Library (that’s also where you check out books, study rooms, and make copies).

18. Question & Answer Time!

19. Thanks for your cooperation!
Remember, if you need research help, all you have to do is ask the librarians. You can…
Visit the Reference Desk, Library 1st floor
us at
Call us at (318)