The website hosted by your college library is full of useful information. In addition to dozens of databases and links to other references, many libraries offer online subject guides as well as one-on-one help from reference librarians through e-mail or chat. You can save yourself time if you get advice from your instructor, a librarian, or your library’s website about the best place to start your search for sources.

Keywords are particularly important for effective searching. If you find a book or an article that is on target for your project, note the search terms that are listed in the catalog or database entry. Develop a list of the most useful terms—those that give you just what you are looking for without too many or too few hits.

Savvy searchers cut down on the clutter of a broad search by adding additional search terms, limiting a search to recent publications, or clicking on a database option to look at only one type of source, such as peer-reviewed articles. When looking for books, you can identify a promising book and then browse through the books on nearby shelves for others related to your topic.