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Getting Started
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Welcome! Here is a step-by-step guide to performing academic research using resources in the UM Libraries and on the Internet.
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This tutorial on doing academic research in chemical engineering but useful for your biology class as well, will give you some ideas on how to get started and where to look for information at different stages in your research. Start your research by exploring the following resources:
- PubMed (medical and biological papers only)
- Google Scholar
- Web of Science
- Scopus
- Worldcat UM
Begin your research in 9 steps:
- Choose a research question
- Think of unique words, distinctive names, abbreviations, or acronyms.
- Become familiar with the phrases and concepts using background information.
- Discover variations of spelling (use Bollean operator OR).
- Still stuck? Use broader terms.
- Learn as you go and vary your approach with what you learn.
- Don't bog down in any strategy that doesn't work. Switch from search engines to databases and back.
- Return to previous strategies better informed.
- Don't forget to cite your sources in the bibliography.
Search tips:
Use the following searching techniques to limit or expand your results.
| Boolean search |
AND OR NOT |
Find all the words Find any of the words Find documents which have the first word, but not the second word |
internet AND education internet OR intranet internet NOT html |
| Phrase search |
"..." |
Search for an exact phrase by using quotes around the phrase | "free search engine" |
| Truncation | * | Find all forms of a word (the symbol * is used as a right-handed truncation character only; |
Searching for econom* will find "economy", "economics", "economical", etc. |
| Wildcard | ? | Replace any single character, either inside the word or the right end of the word. ? cannot be used to begin a word. |
Searching for "wom?n" will find "woman" and "women."
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Still have questions?
No problem, you have a selection of campus departments and websites to assist you:
- University of Maryland Libraries: Ask Us!Get your research questions answered through chat, email, phone, drop in at the Information desk or make an appointment.
- The Writing CenterThis office is small but mighty! Click here to get information on their location and hours. Then stop by or make an appointment in order to improve your writing skills for any major.
Librarian |
 Nedelina Tchangalova         Contact Info Engineering & Physical Sciences Library (EPSL) Mathematics Building University of Maryland College Park, MD 20742 Phone: 301.405.9151 Send Email |
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