Hi, I'm Krista Knapp, your friendly research/instructional librarian, and the liaison to the Communications Department. I'm here to help you with your research for CMAT297. It is my hope that you will take full advantage of this comprehensive guide as you complete your assignments for this online course. You will find text, links, and video tutorials to help guide you through the process. And if you get stuck along the way, you can always come to me for help!

My Famous "Research is a Process Speech"

Since I don't have the luxury of holding you as a captive audience where you can hear the passion and fire in my voice as I deliver my famous "research is a process speech," you are going to have to settle for the not-as-big-of-an-impact-yet-still-meaningful text version. Sorry!

One of the biggest mistakes I see students make is assuming that research is easy or that they can go to one place and get every little resource their heart desires. It just isn't so! Otherwise, the world would not need uber-resourceful librarians such as myself! The trick to research is learning that it's a process and one that is best embarked upon by a patient, open-minded and curious individual. Be willing to experiment with different keywords and terms, in different combinations.

Not finding enough items? Try broadening your search. Finding way too much? Narrow down your search by adding more terms! Try playing with the limiters in a database. Heck, try lots of different databases. We have some fantastic resources available!

Be willing to accept sources that are not in super-convenient electronic format. Go get a dusty journal off the shelf and make a photocopy, direct borrow a book from another USM campus, put those ILL people to work to get something for you! Find an article that is perfect, then look at that article's bibliography for additional sources. It would be great if you kept a little journal of your progress, noting where you have searched and what terms you have used. Make note of what has worked the best.

Most importantly, remember that librarians are your friends and love to do research. We're here to help! All you have to do is ask!

This tutorial was created by the liaison to Communications, Krista Knapp. Please let me know if you have questions or comments. (updated 9/2010)