GS 2080: Writing for the Disciplines

Starting Research: Finding Books

For students taking classes on campus at North Park University, the easiest way to start finding books is to search the library catalog. (Get help searching the online catalog.) Often, a subject search will give you more focused information on a topic. To perform a subject search, type a word into the catalog, and then select "Subject" in the box to the right.

Reference Books are a good place to begin your search. Specialized encyclopedias are written by subject experts, provide overviews of a topic, and recommend further reading. To access online encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference materials, try Credo or Sage E-reference books.

Starting Research: Finding Database Articles

Begin by lopoking for a the list of databases in your subject area in the left menu on the Library Databases and Online Resources page. If you'd like to try to search them all at once, try the multisearch. Remember to decide if you'd like to search just for books or articles, and to try to narrow your search by picking one area to search (such as health and nursing).

Academic Search Premier indexes and provides access to the full text of scholarly journal articles as well as popular magazines in all disciplines. It is a good database to start with. Click here for more information.
Education Research Premier provides full-text articles from hundreds of education journals, including many in the field of Adult Education. Click here for more information.
PsycInfo provides access to psychological literature -- articles from scholarly journals, chapters from books, and dissertations. Click here for more information.
Business Source Complete provides full-text articles from business publications, industry and country reports, and SWOT analyses.
Lexis-Nexis provides full-text newspaper articles from around the world, including the New York Times. It also has legal and business sources.

Getting Help

If this information doesn't answer your questions, please ask for help. You can contact a librarian by our email reference form or call the reference desk at (773) 244-5587. We will be happy to work with you to answer your questions.