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Getting Started with Research at Shapiro Library

This guide discusses understanding information sources, formulating a topic and search phrase, where and how to search the library for information, how to evaluate sources, how to cite sources, and more.

What About Library Resources?


In most cases, the books you get from the library and articles you find in the library's research databases are usually reliable and credible. These sources have usually gone through a traditional editorial process, which means that someone or some group has checked all the facts and arguments the author made and deemed them suitable for publishing. However, you still have to think about whether or not the book or article is current and relevant for your project--for example, library's often subscribe to popular magazines like "People" and "Vogue" which aren't generally considered scholarly sources.

The materials on this page explore the differences between scholarly and popular sources, as well as how to locate scholarly sources using the Shapiro Library website.