How do I get started?

Ask yourself the following questions:

• What type of assignment is it?
• How much information do I need?
• Is timeliness or currency an issue?
• Do I need information from a certain type of publication?
  • What if I need to find scholarly journals?
• Is point of view an issue?
• What if I hate to go to the library?

What if I hate to go to the library?

1. Plan ahead! Start early to give yourself time and mental room to adjust.
2. You don’t have to be an expert to use the library, you only need to be willing to learn.
3. Ask for help at the Information Desk at the Dunbar Library, or the Reference Desks at the Fordham HSL. There are NO dumb questions, only unasked ones. You may call, visit, or email.
4. Remember, you will only be dealing with a small part of the library and materials at any given moment. You don’t have to understand it all at once!

Once you have considered these issues for getting started, you can go to the next section, "How do I plan a research strategy?" to find out more about the basic steps in the research process.

      

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