• Decide on a Topic
  • Discuss subject ideas with your professor.
  • Discuss your topic ideas with a librarian.
  • Look over titles in specialized encyclopedias or handbooks that cover your topic.
  • State your topic as a question.
  • Identify key words or the main ideas in your question.

• Find Background Information
  • Once you have identified your topic, begin library research by reading summaries of your topic. Subject encyclopedias and handbooks provide good information.  Note relevant items in the bibliographies at the end of the articles.  Additional information may be discovered in your textbook, lecture notes, or library reserve materials.

• Use the Card Catalog to find Books on your Topic
  • There are numerous ways to find information in the Hagan Memorial Library electronic card catalog.  Using the WORDS OR PHRASE, SUBJECT, AUTHOR, or TITLE functions will provide you with relevant information on your topic.

• Use EBSCOhost, Wilson Web, First Search and Paper Indexes to find articles about your topic

  EBSCOhost offers the learner access to numerous journals, newspapers, magazines and other sources, many of which are available in full-text. 

  Some of the databases offered by EBSCOhost include:

	Academic Search Premier
	ERIC
	PsychINFO
	Business Source Premier
	ALTA Religion Database
	MEDLINE
	Newspaper Source
	Sociological Collection

Wilson Web provides access to journal articles and abstracts.  It offers some full-text information and Internet resources.

Wilson Web offers:

	Essay and General Literature Index
	Wilson Biographies
	OmniFile Full Text Mega 1982-present
	Short Story Index 1984-1997

FirstSearch provides a total of 13 databases which contain citations to numerous books, journals, periodicals and newspapers.  FirstSearch also offers some full-text information and Internet resources. 

FirstSearch offers the following types of information:

WorldCat Books in libraries worldwide

Article 1st Articles from nearly 12,500 journals

ECO Electronic Collections Online

ERIC Journal articles and reports in the field of education

GPO U.S. Government Publications

MEDLINE Abstracted articles from medical journals

PapersFirst Index of papers presented at conferences

Proceedings Index of conference publications and papers

World Almanac The World Almanac

Paper Indexes provide citations to subject specific and general citations for articles located in journals and periodicals.   For information contained in journals prior to the mid 1980's you will need to consult paper indexes. 

A partial listing of paper indexes include the following:

• Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature
• Humanities Index
• Art Index
• Education Index
• General Science Index
• Social Sciences Index

Once you have found your periodical citations, consult the electronic version of the  HAGAN MEMORIAL LIBRARY PERIODICAL AND NEWSPAPER CATALOG.  

You can locate paper copies of the catalog in the Reference Room and the Instructional Media Library.  The Hagan Memorial Library Periodical and Newspaper Catalog will help you determine if the library has access to the periodical cited.