Off Campus Study Tips: Research

B.E.E. is the information literacy model that has been created to implement across campus. B.E.E. stands for "Brainstorm, Explore, Evidence".

Brainstorm is the initial process you go through once you have received an assignment in class. The most important part of this portion is choosing a topic that not only meets the assignment requirements, but is also something you're interested in researching/writing about.

Explore covers internet research. The internet can be a difficult place to navigate, but in this module, we give you tools to help you responsibly use the internet.

Evidence is the module that helps you dive deeper into a research topic by helping you find scholarly, peer reviewed research utilizing library resources.

For additional information on B.E.E., click here to access the B.E.E. LibGuide.

Most of your professors will require you to use peer reviewed research for your assignments.  Peer reviewed means that other experts in the field have reviewed the research prior to publication.  

To access the full list of databases, visit the Wallerstedt Library website.

Academic Search Premier is a great place to start to find peer reviewed articles and ebrary has a wide variety of ebooks.

Open Access Journal Repositories

Not sure if the article you want to use is legitimate?  Double check to see if the journal has been approved by the following organizations:

• You can't search databases in the same way you would search Google.  It is important to use the same terminology the database uses to yield positive search results.  If you find an article that relates to your research, check the subject headings the database uses to index the article.  Consider using those terms in your next search.
• Connect subject terms with AND, OR, and NOT.  
• Always read the abstract (summary of the article) to see if it relates to your topic.
• E-mail articles to yourself.
• Always double check the database automated citations.