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Identify Appropriate Search Tools and Research Methods

In general, you can use three sets of resources to locate information.

Electronic search tools, such as library catalogs, databases, and Web search sites, allow you to search and browse for sources using a computer. Electronic search tools provide access to publication information about — and in some cases to the complete text of — print and digital sources.
Print resources, such as bibliographies, indexes, encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, almanacs, and atlases, can be found in library reference and periodical rooms. Unlike electronic search tools, which typically cover recent publications, many print resources provide information about publications over several decades — and in some cases over more than a century.
Field research methods allow you to collect information firsthand. These methods include conducting observations, interviews, and surveys; corresponding with experts; attending public events and performances; and viewing or listening to television and radio programs.

Featured writer Ellen Page, who wrote an informative essay about the use of DDT in the prevention of malaria, knew that her topic would require recent sources. As she put together her search plan, she decided to search databases for recent scholarly articles and to look for Web sites that reported recent research. To obtain the most up-to-date information, she also scheduled an interview with a professor at her university who had expertise in the area.