Introduction to Research
in the Pace University Library

The following guide provides a general introduction to process of conducting research in the Pace University Library.  It is intended for students researching a wide variety of topics.  Other, subject-specific research guides are available on the Library's Subject Research Guides page.

Contents:

• Choosing a Topic
• Finding Background Information on Your Topic
• Finding Books in the Pace University Library
• Finding Periodical Articles on Your Topic
• Locating and Evaluating Web Resources
• Citing Your Sources

Choosing a Topic

You should choose a topic that interests you, since you will most likely spend a great deal of time reading, writing and thinking about your topic. 

If you are having difficulty coming up with a topic, you might find the following news and current awareness sources helpful:

• Browse Magazines, Newspapers and Journals. Current issues of magazines, newspapers and journals are available in the Library's Periodicals department on the second floor.
• Think Tanks. Think tanks or policy institutes are organizations that produce research regarding political and social issues. Find comprehensive think tank listings at the U. Mich. Library Documents Center, and at NIRA's World Directory of Think Tanks
• Reference books/e-books and reference websites. Browse/search general encyclopedias or almanacs to find topics of interest, both current and historical. We recommend the following online reference sources, Britanica Online (Pace subscription), Infoplease, & Bartleby Reference.

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Finding Background Information on Your Topic

Once you have chosen a topic, you may want to find some general background information on that topic by using the library's reference collection. 

Specialized Encyclopedias cover topics in specific subject areas or disciplines.  The articles on specific topics often are written by experts and provide lists of sources for further research. Examples of specialized encyclopedias include:

• Africa: An Encyclopedia for Students  (Mortola Ref. DT3 .A249 2002)

• Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science (Birnbaum Ref., Mortola Ref. BF31 .E52 v.1-4)

• Encyclopedia of Bioethics  (Birnbaum Ref., Mortola Ref. QH332 .E52 2004 v.1-5)

• Encyclopedia of Computer Science and Technology  (Birnbaum Ref., QA76.15 .H43 2003)

• Encyclopedia of Special Education  (Birnbaum Ref., Mortola Ref. LC4007 .E53 2000 v.1-3)

• Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements  (Birnbaum Ref. JX1977 .O8213 2003 v.1-4)

• International Encyclopedia of Business and Management  (Birnbaum Ref. HF1001 .I53 2002 v.1-8)

• Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations  (Birnbaum Ref. G63 .W67 2004 v.1-6, Mortola Ref. G63 .W67 2001 v.1-5)

To determine whether the library has a specialized encyclopedia pertaining to your topic, try a Keyword search in the Pace Library Catalog using the following format: "[subject area] and encyclopedias"

If you are having trouble finding background information on your topic, check to see if we have created a Subject Research Guide that might list specialized reference works. 

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Finding Books in the Pace University Library

To determine whether or not the library has any books on your topic, you will need to consult the Pace Library Catalog.  The catalog lists the books, videos and other materials that the Library owns, and tells you where to locate those materials.

You can search the catalog by Title or Author, but unless you are looking for a specific book, you will most likely want to begin with a Keyword search. 

Always note the Location (i.e. specific campus library) and Call Number (this gives you the shelf location) of the books you find, so that you will be able to find it in the Library.

For more information on finding books, please see the Library's guide to Using the Pace Library Catalog.

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Finding Periodical Articles on Your Topic

Books can be excellent sources of in-depth information, but chances are you will also want to look for current information on your topic in periodicals (i.e. magazines, newspapers, and journals).  To find periodical articles on a particular topic, you will need to use one of the library's Databases.

To access the databases, go to the Library Home Page and click on Articles via Databases.  The following are particularly useful sources of articles on a wide variety of research topics:

Academic Search Premier

Citations, abstracts and full-text of humanities, social sciences, non-technical general sciences and current events articles dating back to 1965. Provides full text for more than 3,430 scholarly publications.

Research Library

Citations and abstracts of articles from more than 1,800 periodicals dating back to 1989.  More than 200 of these periodicals are available in full-text format.

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Finding and Evaluating Websites

You will probably find websites related to your topic using general Web search engines, such as Google (http://www.google.com).

Remember, anyone can publish on the web. Unlike the books and articles in the Pace Library collection, many website have not been evaluated by editors, or selected by experts.

The Pace Library maintains a directory of websites that are appropriate for academic research: Internet Resources by Subject .  Other, more extensive directories/search engines of high-quality web resources include:

INFOMINE    http://infomine.ucr.edu/

A collection of over 100, 000 Internet resources (26,000 selected by librarians), arranged by subject. 

 Resource Discovery Network    http://www.rdn.ac.uk

A searchable directory of over 80, 000 internet resources selected by RDN for their interest to the teaching, learning, and research community.

The Scout Report Archives    http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/archives/

Search for critical evaluations of Websites that have appeared in previous editions of the Scout Report.

Before you use any information from websites a college-level paper, you should think about whether your sources are:

• Accurate:  Is the resource free of obvious errors?  Does the resource provide appropriate documentation of information presented as factual?

• Authoritative:  Does the author of the resource have credentials or expertise on the subject s/he is writing about?  What are his or her qualifications?  If no author is given, how reputable in the organization providing the resource?

• Objective:  Is the resource biased, and if so, is the bias clearly acknowledged?

• Current:  Is the date of publication given, and if so, is it recent enough to be useful?

• Appropriate in Scope and Coverage:  What are the topics included in the resource?  Are they covered in sufficient depth?

For more information on evaluating Websites, please see the library's page on Evaluating Resources.

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Citing Your Sources

To avoid the appearance of plagiarism, you will need to cite all of your information sources using a standard citation format, such as APA or MLA.

For information on APA citation format, see the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (Birnbaum Ref. Reserve, Mortola Ref. Desk, Mortola Ref. BF76.7 .A46 2001).

For information on MLA citation format, see the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (Birnbaum Ref. Reserve, Mortola Ref. Desk, Mortola Ref. LB2369 .G53 1999)

Additional information about citing resources is available on the Library's How to Cite Resources page.  If you are unsure of which citation format to use, please ask your instructor.  For more information on plagiarism, see the "Student Resources" on the Library's Plagiarism Facts for Faculty and Students page.

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Still Need Help? Ask a Librarian!