Learn to Find, Access, and Manage Information

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Play Button Click the play button to watch a short video on starting your research assignment.

  • Choose or narrow your topic
    1. If you're able to; choose a topic that you think is interesting.
    2. Explore! Search for background information before you comit to a topic. Look it up on the Web or in an encyclopedia to learn more about it.
    3. As you explore, look for sub-topics within your topic. Some topics are so big that you just can't squeeze them into a single paper. For instance, instead of trying to encompas everything about global warming, you could focus on a specific phenomena like global warming's affect on hurricane severity or how it's impacting polar bear populations.
    4. Don't be affraid to adjust or refocus your topic once you start researching. It happens to all of us!
  • Choose the right sources
    1. Look over your assignment or sylabus, or ask your professor what kinds of sources you need and how many.
    2. Does your professor want you to use books? popular articles? scholarly articles? primary sources? statistics?
    3. Think about the different kinds of questions you need to answer. For example; cutting edge research is found in scholarly articles, books give good overviews, and newspapers are a great window into what the public thinks. Match the information you need to the source most likely to help you find it. Librarians and professors can be helpful here!
  • Find background information
    1. Look your topic up in encyclopedias or try your favorite search engine online. What you find won't necessarily be something you cite in your paper, but it can give you inspiration for the next steps in your research!
    2. Look for clues in what you find to help with you search the library's resources, like:
      • Special words used to describe or talk about your topic
      • Names of authors or researchers who know a lot about your topic
      • Citations for books and articles you might want to look up in UW Madison's search tools
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Find Books

  • By title

    Play Button Click the play button to watch a short video on finding books by title.

    1. Use MadCat's Simple Search to find books by title.
    2. In the Search For box, type the title of the book.
      • Omit initial articles (a, an, the, la…) from the title.
      • You don't need to use punctuation marks or capitals.
    3. In the Search By box, select Title Search.
    4. Click Search.
    5. Click the book title you need from the list of results to see where the book is.
      • If you are not sure which book you need, use other information about your book (e.g., author or date of publication) to help you choose.
      • There may be several editions of the book you want. Usually you will want the most recently published edition.
    6. Write down the book's location and call number.
      • You'll need both to find it on the shelf!
    7. Go to the appropriate library and pick up the book.
      • To find the library's location, click the Where is this Location? link.
      • To find your call number on the shelves, ask a librarian for help or find a stack guide when you arrive.
  • By author
    1. Use MadCat's Simple Search to find books by author.
    2. In the Search For box, type in the author's name.
      • Last name, first name.
      • Punctuation and capitalization are not necessary.
    3. In the Search By box, select Author Browse.
    4. Click Search.
    5. Click the link that best matches your author to see a list of his or her books.
    6. Click the title of the book you want.
    7. Write down the book's location and call number.
      • You'll need both to find it on the shelf!
    8. Go to the appropriate library and pick up the book.
      • To find the library's location, click the Where is this Location? link.
      • To find your call number on the shelves, ask a librarian for help or find a stack guide when you arrive.
  • On your topic
    1. Use MadCat's Guided Search to find books on your topic.
    2. In the Search For box(es), type the key concept(s) you are looking for.
      • One concept per box.
        • If it's a single-word concept (like "genetics"), leave the adjacent drop-down menu set to all of these.
        • If it's a concept with multiple words (like "global warming"), select as a phrase.
    3. Leave the Search By box set to keywords anywhere.
    4. Click Search.
    5. Click the titles of items in the result list that fit your topic best.
      • To help you choose, consider the following:
        • Title of item: does it seem relevant to your topic?
        • Name of author: is it someone in the field you recognize?
        • Date of publication: how current is the book? (A book about medicine from the 1970s will be way out of date!)
      • To find more books like this one,
        • Click the book's title to open the record.
        • Find the book's Subjects from the headings listed on the left side.
        • Click a subject that is relevant to your topic. A list of similar subjects displays.
        • Click the one you're interested in to see all the books at UW Madison related to that subject.
    6. Write down the book's location and call number.
      • You'll need both to find it on the shelf!
    7. Go to the appropriate library and pick up the book.
      • To find the library's location, click the Where is this Location? link.
      • To find your call number on the shelves, ask a librarian for help or find a stack guide when you arrive

    See also:

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Find Articles

  • When you have a citation

    Play Button Click the play button to watch a short video on finding articles from a citation.

      1. Click the Find It button located on the Libraries Website.
      2. Type the citation information in the fields.
      3. Press enter to search.
      4. The “full text” of your article may be available digitally online or physically in a library:
        1. Online – If you see links under the Online section, click one to access the full text of your article in one of the library’s article databases.
        2. Find In a Library – If there is no online version, or you prefer print, click the MadCat library catalog link to see if a print copy of the journal is available on the shelf in a UW-Madison library.

    Article Delivery Service: If an article is not available online, you can use the Library Express link in the More Options section of your Find It results to have a copy found and e-mailed to you for free. This works for any article, even ones that the libraries have in print on campus. Library Express takes between one and three days on average.

  • On your topic

    Three of the most commonly used tools are:

    1. QuickSearch for Articles

      1. Choose a subject from the pull-down menu under QuickSearch for Articles that pertains to your topic.  You can also select ‘General Resources’ which is the default.
      2. Enter your search terms and click Search.
        Note: The search may take up to 45 seconds to complete.
      3. Review the results and revise your search as needed.
      4. To access the full-text of the article, click on FindIt.

    2. Article Databases

      3. If you know the database you wish to search:

      1. Choose a database from the ‘Top 10 Databases’ pull down menu
        OR
        Choose a database by going through the ‘E-Resource Gateway.’
        1. Click ‘E-Resource Gateway’.
        2. Enter the name of the database and click ‘Go’.
        3. Click database name.
      2. Enter your search terms and click Search.
      3. Review the results and revise your search as needed.
      4. To access the full-text of the article, click FindIt.
      If you don’t know the database you wish to search:
      1. Click ‘E-Resource Gateway’.
      2. Select the ‘By Subject’ tab.
      3. Choose a subject area from the categories on the left then choose a corresponding sub-category on the right and click ‘Go.’
      4. Choose a database by clicking on the database name.
      5. Enter your search terms and click Search.
      6. Review the results and revise your search as needed.
      7. To access the full-text of the article, click on FindIt.

    3. Google Scholar

      1. Go to scholar.google.com
      2. If you are using a non-library computer do the following:
      3. Click on Scholar Preferences (next to the search box).
        1. Type Wisconsin in the Library Links box and click Find Library.
        2. Select University of Wisconsin – Madison.
        3. Click on Save Preferences (bottom of page).
        4. Enter your search terms and click Search.
      4. Review the results and revise your search as needed.
      5. To access full-text of the article, click on FindIt

    See Also:

  • Is my article scholarly?

    Play Button Click the play button to watch a short video on identifying scholarly articles.

    If your article is scholarly, then yes will be the answer for most of the following:

    1. Is the article written by experts (scholars) in the field?
      • Author's name is always included in scholarly articles.
    2. Is the article written for experts (scholars) in the field?
      • Articles written for the general public are NOT scholarly.
    3. Does the article report the results of research or does it analyze or interpret other research studies?
      • Often scholarly articles include a description of research methods.
    4. Is the article long?
      • Scholarly articles tend to be long (more than five pages in the humanities and more than two pages in the sciences).
    5. Does the article have a bibliography?
      • Scholarly articles always have a bibliography.
    6. Does the article title contain technical language?
      • e.g. "Nonparametric Regression Techniques in Economics"
    7. Does the title of the journal seem to be very specialized?
      • e.g. Journal of Applied Physics or Historical Methods
    8. Does the journal have an editorial policy that includes peer review?
      • Peer reviewed articles have been assessed by other experts in the field before publication.
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Evaluate Sources

  • Supporting your conclusions
    • Reliable sources are an expectation of college level research.
    • To be persuasive and get a good grade, you need to demonstrate that you can identify reliable, relevant sources, making sound information choices and recognizing bias.
    • Sources must be accurate, well-written, current, cover their topic thoroughly, have a clearly stated purpose, and provide supporting documentation.
  • Judging reliability and relevance

    What is this about?

    • Does it have the kind of information you need? Look at title, abstract, subject headings, and keywords or descriptors. Look at browser title bar, document title, table of contents, etc.
    • Is your topic best served by articles, books, or websites?
    • If the information is contradictory to what you know, can it be verified?
    • Is the research methodology described?
    • Are sources of information cited in text or bibliographies?
    • If you notice many errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc., question the accuracy of other information.
    • Note errors, omissions, or an emotional writing style.

    Who created this?

    • Can you find an author name and/or verify the author's credentials?
    • Check the preface or introduction. Look for About the Author/About Us links
    • Look for affiliated institutions, parent organizations, and funding sources
    • Look at the parts of the address or URL to find organizational information
    • Verify authors qualifications in another source (e.g. Journal, institutional web page, directory)

    Where is the information coming from?

    • From scholarly, popular or trade journal? Academic press, commercial publisher, government agency?
    • Has it been peer reviewed ... is it scholarly or popular?
    • Look at the address or URL: .edu=educational, .com=commercial, .org=organization
    • Look up domain owner with WHOIS search

    Why was this written and how does that affect the information?

    • Determine purpose of the content: to inform, persuade, entertain, instruct, or sell
    • Intended audience (scholarly, popular, trade, student)?
    • Look for Mission Statements in journals or About Us/Mission/Purpose, links and advertising on the web
    • Understanding why something was written helps to identify bias

    When was the source/information created?

    • Look for dates. Can you tell what they mean?
    • Is the date of publication or copyright important for the timeliness of the content?
    • Is there a more recent edition? When was the site last modified or updated?
    • When was the research conducted?

  • What is the difference between popular and scholarly articles?
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Cite Sources

Play Button Click the play button to watch a short video about citing sources.

  • What information to include
    • Information for articles: author(s), title, source title, volume/issue, date, page range, URL (Web address) and date accessed if online source.
    • Information for books: author(s)/editor(s), title(s), publisher, publisher location, date, pages used.
    • Information for Web page(s): author(s), title, last update date, date accessed, URL (Web address).
  • Which citation style to use
    There are many different citation or documentation styles such as MLA, APA, and Chicago Manual of Style, etc.
    • Check with your instructor to determine which style you should use. Different areas of study (e.g., history, medicine, psychology) tend to use specific citation styles.
    • Help is available at the UW-Madison Writing Center. Take a look at their Writer's Handbook.
Jump to top Or look at our top 10 research questions.