Once you have found background resources on your paper, start looking for books and other library material in our library's catalog, available on our home page (www.bu.edu/sthlibrary). If you have an idea of what you want (a title, author, or relevant subject heading, perhaps information from background articles you read) begin your search there.
However, there's a chance you may not know where to start. Don't worry! Start with a keyword search of your topic. Let's start with the term "Elijah." There are over 13,000 entries for Elijah in our catalog. That's very overwhelming! To limit your search, add another word to your search (for example, "fire.). Now, the catalog will search for records that contain both the words "Elijah" and "fire." There's a lot less results now (under 1,000). You're on the right track!
You can use filters to limit results to exactly what you're looking for! Prefer books? Limit resource type to books on the left side. Do the same for date of creation, library, language, etc. as you prefer! On the top, you can limit books to available in library or available online. BU has 10 books or e-books to browse that contain both "Elijah" and "fire" in the record. That's a little more manageable.
Your search may have missed others on your subject, though. Did you find the perfect source in your search? Use the "subject headings" under the More Information tab; here, librarians group together books under the same heading- making it easier for you to find alike resources! If a book is available on shelf, always browse around the area, too. We use Library of Congress Classification, and books are shelved according to subject, meaning other useful resources may be really close by!
Always check the footnotes, references, and bibliographies from resources you found useful! This footnote hoping may find you the perfect resource for your paper!
Finding journal articles isn't difficult, either! Applying the sleuthing techniques you learned by finding books, you can also find the perfect journal article for your research!
Our library's catalog includes full-text journal articles from many of the e-journals and databases BU owns. Start your search there, limiting your search to "articles" on the left side. Note that you should directly search on our databases (for example, you should get very familiar with the ATLA Religion Database. Learn more about it on our e-resources guide page and in the box on the left!) Check Boston University's complete list of databases to determine which is most helpful to you and your paper writing needs. When searching databases, you may find the perfect journal article, but BU doesn't have access to it online. Search for the journal title in our online catalog- we may have it in print format! If we don't, you may want to request the article as an interlibrary loan- use the box on the top right to see about interlibrary loan options.
Perhaps you're a fan of print indexes, or resources that include short abstracts on journal articles. Often there isn't perfect coverage in our online indices/databases- especially for older movements or older journal articles. BU Libraries have plenty of older indices on religion that may assist you as well.
On our website under the For Students tab, we have a guide on best ways to request library materials. Learn about WorldCat Discovery, Interlibrary Loan via ILLiad, Boston Theological Institute (BTI) Cards, and Boston Library Consortium (BLC) Cards! Watch tutorials on requesting items using these methods.
Evaluating the information you’ve located is crucial when doing research. Below is a list of some questions you might consider as you look at the information you’ve found for your paper. These questions apply to both print and electronic resources.
For full information on correctly citing your sources, consult our Library Workshop and Tutorials page for an entire workshop on plagiarism. Our Cite Your Sources page lists style guides for any citation style your professor may prefer, and a provides list of citation managers to help you manage the barrage of citations you face! Good luck!
Doing research for a paper can be extremely daunting, and maybe you need a reminder on how to do it. You've come to the right place! We have a slideshow and written guide to get you started on crafting your best research paper yet!
Sean Smith, former Library Administrative Coordinator at the School of Theology Library, wrote this Library Research Guide and created the slideshow hosted on Haikudeck, based on a previous guide by former Public Services Librarian Jim Skypeck. Jim Skypeck's own words are continued to be used for the "Evaluate Resources" box.