Once you have decided what sort of research materials you want to work with, you can choose the best research tool to help you find that material. There are two Library Research tools that will help you find print and electronic primary and secondary materials:
1. Library Search
2. A-Z Databases
Don't just use Google for information!
Google will find lots of information and is a great tool for examining certain kinds of material such as blogs and other openly accessible web resources. However, the information you find will vary greatly in terms of accuracy, currency bias etc. Always evaluate the material for research quality.
As well as containing information that is not exposed through Google, the Library research tools also allow you to be more precise with your searching as they offer specialist research database features to improve your research discovery.
New video coming soon! If you need any advice in the meantime please get in touch.
Library Search is a good starting point.
You can search for your research topic(s) and quickly and easily retrieve details of print and electronic books, journal articles and other full text material.
You can also use it to check whether we have particular books or journals you may discover during your literature searching.
To research the global literature on a topic, and go beyond quick full text results, then you should follow up with a database search.
You can tailor your search more precisely using all the sophisticated functionality available on the research databases.
To find databases, use the A-Z list. Take a look at the Finding Relevant Databases tab for guidance on using the subject and type menu to help you find databases of interest to you.
Use the Database Targets worksheet to record useful databases as you explore.
You can browse or search the database list. The description beneath each database title indicates the content and coverage of the database.
You can select your subject from the drop down Subjects menu to see a subset of resources in that category.
The subject listings will highlight the 'core resources'; these are key databases that are likely to be of interest to anyone studying and researching in that area.
Your Subject LibGuide will also highlight recommended databases for you to explore.
You can select a database type from the drop down Types menu to see a subset of resources in that category.
For example, you may want to focus on news or official publications etc
University of Exeter LibGuide is licensed under CC BY 4.0
