Frequently Asked Questions: FAQ: Research

How do I get help for my research? I don’t know how or what to ask.

Our librarians are here to help! Schedule a one-on-one research consultation or send us an email/chat to discuss your research question, search strategy, source evaluation, research organization, and more.

We create and maintain Information Guides on a variety of topics and courses to help you get a jumpstart on research. If there is something in particular you would like us to create an information guide for, send us an email! We love to collaborate.

How to find the most recent articles for research?

Check out our information guide Research Process: Searching for help in creating and implementing a search strategy in the library catalog, databases, or other resources like Google Scholar.

New to the library or can't quite find what you're looking for? Our Reference Librarians can help with searches in the library's catalog and databases. Send us an email or contact us in MS Teams with your question(s).

How do I figure out if a source/article is credible?

Check out our information guide Research Process: Evaluating Resources for help in understanding different source types, authority and credibility, and applying these to your findings. We also have tools like our Evaluating Sources Cheat Sheet to help you decipher sources throughout your research process.

I don't understand how to use the required citation style in my research...

Citation styles can be tricky! Check out our Citations information guide for resources and tools or we welcome you to schedule one-on-one research consultation with our librarians. The Writing Center is also a great resource! We are also huge fans of citation managers, which are web-based citation tools that gather, organize, and store your research as well as generate citations.

How do I use Zotero or other citation managers?

Check out our Citation Management Tools information guide to learn about resources to organize and cite research. You are also welcome to schedule one-on-one research consultation with our librarians.