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The General Guide to Research
(Formerly titled Aaron's Research Keyring (ARK))
Most of the research starting points, search engine pages and lists of links on the Internet do not give the researcher a logical system of searching for academic research information. A comprehensive search requires some research outside the internet, of course. This introduction will guide anyone doing research toward a more comprehensive and logical approach to research. The first step is to make a Bibliographical Search to find out what exists on a subject or topic.
On this page:
Reference Books and Guides
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Use Guides to Reference Books (especially when you are not familiar with resources on the subject or don't know how to find material on a research question).
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Use Reference Book Guides to Evaluate and Select the Best Reference Books.
Library Catalogs: Sources for Finding What Books Exist on a Subject
Union Catalogs and the Great Research Library Catalogs
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The National Union Catalog - available in sets of bound volumes in larger libraries. Also a cooperative online catalog of manuscript and bibliographic collections is available. The general catalog includes information on books in many libraries. You can also search online in other National Libraries if your subject is more likely to be found there.
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The OCLC Online Union Catalog - WorldCat - this database is online and can be accessed through a school or institution that subscribes to its services. You can also access it by selecting Advanced Search in Google or Yahoo and then typing "worldcatlibraries.org" in the Domain search box. Enter your book title or other search terms in one of the search boxes and enter your state or zipcode in the location box on the results page to determine libraries that have the book in your area (First Search service: also see First Search Database list).
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The Great Research Library catalogs online (if you do not have access to WorldCat)
Research Libraries
Search Specialized Library Catalogs
Theological Libraries
Search Guides to Current Books (not comprehensive but helpful)
Other Book Sources - new and used
Guides to Book Reviews
Sources of Periodical Articles (see also Google scholar)
Dissertation Abstracts and Archival Catalogs
Internet Indexes, Search Engines, and Topical Guides
Subject Gateway and Topical Guides: each of the following links is one of the best starting points for academic research in that general subject area. Each gateway provides many links to the field and sub-topics, without being overly technical. Using this gateway avoids commercial and non-academic sites, and is thus better than Yahoo type directories.
Search Engines
Internet Directories
Government & Documents Statistics
United States Government Information
Statistics and Demographics
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