Research Guide Portal:: ENGL 1301

Research Databases containing Articles, eBooks and Videos are available to our students, faculty and staff 24/7. Have a question? Ask us!

	Phone: Reference: 832.559.4211  Circulation: 832.559.4206
	Chat with a Librarian (Monday - Friday: 8 a.m.- 8 p.m.) Saturday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.)
	Email us: tcref@lonestar.edu

The Fall Hours for the LSC - Tomball Library

Monday - Thursday: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Friday: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Online Chat Reference Hours

Monday - Thursday: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Friday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Starting your research project can feel overwhelming, especially if the topic is lengthy or your topic broad. Here are some tips to get you start on the right path and help you not feel overwhelmed. 

Start Researching:

• Write out your full research question.
• Narrow down the key terms, the ones which you will use search with.
• Review your assignment for the type of resources Prof. Piercy requires of you. 
  • Some professors may require a mixture of academic journals, books, clinical trials or newspapers. Other instructors may limit the types of resources you can use--for example, some instructors disallow websites as sources.
• Start using your search terms to find relevant resources.

How to Narrow Your List of Results:

• Narrow your results to Full Text, or Full Free Text ONLY. Abstracts will not be helpful for your needs.
• Narrow your results to the last 10 years when researching for up-to-date, current information. Exception: you are looking for historical data.
• Narrow by document type such as academic journals, clinical trials, or book reviews depending on your assignment's requirements.
• When you find a relevant article use the subject headings and the resources listed at the end of the article to find similar resources.
• Use your key word search to try different search terms to achieve better results.

Where to Search:

• If you know what you're looking for, type your search terms in the field in the box above this one. 
• If you're not quite sure what you're looking for, go to the Research Databases page and choose the database subject which is closest to what you're looking for. Then search through some of the databases on that page. Some great databases to start with are Academic Search Complete (second database listed on this page), Gale Databases Power Search, and JSTOR.
• If you aren't able to find what you're looking for on the LSC database, try Google Search.

Evaluating Websites

When looking at websites,  the URL is a big indicator of a website credibility.

.com - Commercial Site: hear commercial site, think company. These websites are either selling a product or selling data for profit.

.gov - Government:  provided data, research and resources from a government agency.

Database like Pubmed are actually a .gov website.

Keep in mind: Government agencies like NASA or the Department of Education don't author work individually but by committee. 

.edu - Education: Education websites from and educational institution such as a a four year college or similar. 

.org - Organization:  internet addresses of organizations that do not work for profit

Authority of the Source

 Questions to ask yourself when looking at a resource:

• Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?
• What are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations?
• Is the author qualified to write on the topic?
• Is there contact information for the author, or source?
• What does the URL reveal about the source?
• When was this information published? Was it updated?