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6 Stages of Research

Walk through the different stages of the research process, breaking each step down into manageable and concrete action. This guide includes topic brainstorming, creating a research plan, finding information, taking notes, and citation.

Search

Get started with a quick search of the catalog and multiple databases.
Search for magazine, newspaper, and scholarly journal articles.
Search Digital Archives to find digitized photos, FHSU theses, yearbooks, and more.
Search Books & More to find books & e-books, print & e-journals, DVDs, CDs, government documents, & more.

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Locating Sources

The purpose of this stage is to find resources. Below are some tutorials that will help you search more effectively and some tips for when you are searching.

Tips:

  • Start with narrow search terms first, then try synonyms, and then try to broaden your search terms. It is better to have four really good results than six pages of stuff that doesn't actually help you answer your question. 
  • Just because an article is about the same topic doesn't mean it will help you answer your question, so read the abstract to determine if it is actually relevant to what you are doing. 
  • Use filters and pay attention to publication dates. 
  • Follow "subjects" to find more articles on the same topic.

Full Text

This video discusses a few tips for locating the full text of an article using Forsyth Library's resources including:

How to Embed This Tutorial in Blackboard:

  1. Select and copy (Ctrl+C) all of the following Embed Code text:
    <iframe title="Full Text Article Tutorial" width="640" height="360" allowTransparency="true" mozallowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen allowfullscreen style="background-color:transparent;" frameBorder="0" src="https://app.vidgrid.com/embed/2pOhvKX2T7zJ"></iframe>  
  2. In Blackboard, create and name an Item (or any other Blackboard tool that includes the standard Text Editor) 
  3. Click the HTML button at the bottom right of the Tool Buttons to open the HTML editor 
  4. Paste (Ctrl+V) the embed code within the HTML window and click Update and Submit. 

Link to VidGrid Video: https://use.vg/Op7F3B

Advanced Search Strategies

This video discusses advanced search strategies that will help you search library resources more effectively, including:

How to Embed This Tutorial in Blackboard:

  1. Select and copy (Ctrl+C) all of the following Embed Code text:
    <iframe title="Advanced Search Orientation Video" width="640" height="360" allowTransparency="true" mozallowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen allowfullscreen style="background-color:transparent;" frameBorder="0" src="https://app.vidgrid.com/embed/5L7MvUZvPEca"></iframe>
  2. In Blackboard, create and name an Item (or any other Blackboard tool that includes the standard Text Editor) 
  3. Click the HTML button at the bottom right of the Tool Buttons to open the HTML editor 
  4. Paste (Ctrl+V) the embed code within the HTML window and click Update and Submit. 

Link to VidGrid Video: https://use.vg/um0h1r