Search Strategies

When you start searching you should know your general topic and have an idea of what types of resources you need for your final assignment.  From there you can start to look for some resources and gather ideas to narrow and (if necessary) broaden your search. The Research Snake guides you through the steps you should be taking to find information:

You will constantly be revising your search strategy as you go through the research process!  When you start your research use your topic as your Keyword.  You should add keywords as you take different steps in the research process.  When are looking for peer-reviewed research you should have a few different terms or Keywords you are using for your topic.  If you started looking for resources on hip-hop your search should evolve as you find more information about the background, current topics and news, and web searching:

It’s okay to make a mistake or change a word, that’s how you know you are learning more about your topic as you progress.  Do not get discouraged if you can’t seem to find what you need, you can always contact a librarian (look for the subject of your class) or talk to your professor.