Ottenheimer Library
Starting Your Research
Selecting a Topic
Try to choose a topic that is of interest to you. For example, it could be:
- Current event
- Famous person
- Social issue
If you still do not have any ideas for a topic, look at one of these sources:
- CQ Researcher (REF H 35 .H365)
- A current magazine or newspaper, like Newsweek or New York Times
- Subject Encyclopedias (Ask a Librarian)
- Talk to your instructor about topic ideas
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Finding Books on Your Topic
The Library's catalog is the first stop to locating materials on your topic. You may search by one of four ways: author, title, subject or keyword. You may access the online catalog at http://library.ualr.edu/catalog/.
- To search by author name, type last name first
- To search by the title of the work, type exact title
- To search by subject, use Library of Congress Lists of Subject Headings (available at reference desk)
- To search by keyword, use Boolean operators or connectors (and, or, not)
AND - searches for both keywords (jazz and blues) - narrows search
OR - searches for either term (jazz or blues) - broadens search
NOT - excludes terms (jazz not blues)- narrows search
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Finding Magazine or Newspaper Articles
To locate magazine and newspaper articles, go to the e-resources network in the Reference area and access the Library's homepage at http://library.ualr.edu/. Under the heading Databases and Research Tools, click "Indexes and Databases." Now choose a database. For off-campus access, select http://library.ualr.edu/offcampus/. Some examples are:
- Wilson Omnifile (general topics)
- ProQuest (general topics)
- Lexis-Nexis (newspaper articles)
Once you have chosen your index or database, you are ready to start searching.
- Type in your topic or keywords.
- Look at the list of articles that you found.
- Print the full-text articles that you need. You have to print them one at a time OR you may e-mail them to your personal account.
- Mark the articles that you want to look for but are not full-text. Print those records.
While you are using these indexes and databases, remember these tips:
- Please follow the printing instructions for that index. Please give the computer time to retrieve and print the article. Wait at least a minute before you ask it to print a second time. If there is a problem with printing, please ask for help at the reference desk.
- Many of the articles that you may find are full-text, but not everything will be. You may have to make your own copies from the magazines on 3rd floor.
- Check to see what magazines that the Library owns before you go upstairs to the 3rd floor. You may verify our holdings in the online catalog.
- Please print only the articles that you plan to read or use. Be selective.
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Style Manuals
Your instructor will require you to have a bibliography or a works cited page. This is a list of materials that you have consulted to write your paper. You must have the following information:
- Author
- Title of book or journal
- Title of article in the journal
- Volume number, issue number, page numbers, date
- Publisher, publishing place, date
There are several style manuals that are commonly used on this campus. The current editions of the following manuals can be found at the Reference Desk.
- MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
- Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA)
- Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (Turabian)
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Helpful Hints
- Get a UALR ID card. You will need it to check-out books, renew a book, use interlibrary loan, and to access library resources from off-campus.
- Buy a copy card from the Circulation Department. You can make copies anywhere in the Library and save a little bit of money at the same time.
- Ask for help. The Reference Librarians are here to help you.
refdesk@libmail.ualr.edu
Voice and TDD: (501) 569-8806
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