Research Process and Citation Style
The Reference Department is a good place to start your search
for information. The librarians there can suggest sources of information
and research strategies which may help you in your information search.
There are also sources in the Reference Department that will help you choose
and understand a topic, narrow it down, and provide you with the terms
you need to look up more information.
A step-by-step search strategy can help you organize your
research. These steps can be summarized as follows:
- Choose a topic.
- Define your terms.
- Refine your topic.
- Locate books, periodicals, and other sources of information.
- Collect and organize all information.
- Analyze your information.
- Write your paper and compile your final
After choosing a topic for research, you may need to narrow
and refine it by analyzing its various aspects and defining its scope.
You can get background information and an overview of a topic from such
sources as specialized subject encyclopedias and dictionaries. A reference
librarian can help you identify keywords to search for more information
on your topic in books listed on our
PACs (Public Access Catalogs)
in journals found through databases. A librarian can also suggest other resources
in the library that are likely to be useful to you in your research. Finally,
when you are ready to complete your research, you may want to check one
of the style manuals located in the Reference Department for citing your
- The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual.
Ref. PN 4783 .A8 1987
- The Chicago Manual of Style.
Ref. Z 253 .U69 1993
- Electronic Styles: A Handbook for Citing
Electronic Information 1996.
Ref. PN 171 .F56 L5 1996
- MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.
Ref. LB 2369 .G53 2003
- The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage : a Desk Book of Guidelines for Writers and Editors.
Ref. PN 4783 .J6 1976
- Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association. Ref. BF 76.7 .P83 2001
- Turabian, Kate. A Manual for Writers of Term
Papers, Theses, and Dissertations.
Ref. LB 2369 .T8 1996
Online Style Guides
Created by Laura Manzari
and Kelly Lusak