Looking for a starting point for your research and not sure where to begin? It is highly recommended that you begin the research process with a search strategy. The boxes below will walk you through how to develop and use a search strategy. 

Do you dread having to work on a research project?  It really isn't that bad if you have a planned search strategy before you begin.  See the tutorial below to help get you started!

Upload the handout to get yours started!

Do you need some help with beginning your research? 

The research process is much easier if you follow a few simple steps. Do you need some help getting started on your research?

See the links below for printable examples and for more information. 

Need help finding synonyms? Check http://thesaurus.com. 

Check out these tips!

• Search other college and university sites in Google or Bing. Look for digital or special collections that they have. Type in artists name, followed by site:.edu. Organizations can be searched using site:.org.
  • Example: Trimpin site:.edu OR Sound Sculpture site:.edu
  • Example: Sound sculpture site:.org
• Look through ProQuest Dissertations and Theses for publications on your topic. Look at the References/Works Cited section within these documents for lists of resources.
• Plan your research far enough in advance that you can request books through UBorrow or Interlibrary Loan, or articles via Interlibrary Loan.
• Consider other repositories like Google Scholar or Open Access sources.
• Many videos will also include transcription of the voice. Use "Ctrl-F" to search for terms or names in the transcription to see if your topic is covered in sufficient detail to warrant watching the video.
• ALWAYS write down your search terms, good searches, related terms, and failed searches to avoid going in circles.
• Use RefWorks or Zotero to keep track of your references (even after graduation, you will have access to this account). RefWorks has new features including downloading and saving articles.