A student recalls something from class that was mentioned only briefly, but that made her sit up and take notice. She wishes they could return to that topic and learn more, but that was a few weeks ago. It was really just a line or two in the text; an idea touched upon in a lecture. Now, faced with a research project, she is tasked with finding a topic to focus her inquiry process. Her teacher has suggested a few topics for students who feel stuck, and she has considered some of those, but that one tiny idea won't leave her alone. She needs to find out more about that.
Slow down, relax, and dip in to books, reference sources, websites, videos, and podcasts. As you read and learn, keep track of interesting ideas and important terms.
Most of these sources will not be cited in your final product - just read and build your background knowledge and vocabulary!
Search using the library catalog, library databases, and search engines like Google.
Before you search, think about the terms you will use. Most of the time, it's not the most effective strategy to enter a question into a search box.
What new questions come up?
What new ideas, people, and terms have you learned about? Record these in your notes where you can come back to them.
A great citation management and note-taking tool. Sign in with your BMS Google account.
Provides full-text digital access to reference books in a variety of subjects.
Oxford Art Online provides reference articles and images for studying art, artists, and art history.
From the publisher: The authoritative resource for music research with over 52,000 articles written by nearly 9,000 scholars charting the diverse history and cultures of music around the globe.
Presents reference information and topic guides in World History, along with related news, magazine, and scholarly journal articles.
Search tip: you can find pathfinders or resource guides from other institutions' libraries, too! Their librarians may have curated additional sources that may be useful to you. It's a handy way to discover great information. Try a query like this:
[site:libguides.com AND (your search terms)]
You can access these resources using your Enoch Pratt Free Library card. These are available to any resident of Maryland; you don't have to live in Baltimore City. If you don't have a library card, you can sign up for an eCard which will give you access to Pratt's research databases, eBooks and audiobooks on Libby, and movies on Kanopy.