The Shapiro Wing is now open for silent study. We look forward to welcoming you back into the Library. For more information about study space and resources available, please see our On-Campus Services Page
The Library's website is a great place to start your research because our resources are a higher quality than what you can find free on Google.
The big search box is called Summon. It is a "Google-like" tool that searches many DelVal databases (and the book catalog) at the same time. It is a nice time saver, and it often uncovers resources that you might otherwise have overlooked.
We also have many other databases, which are organized by subject, which might be better for your research.
A qualified author will have a background in the field they are writing about. The authors should not show bias. Opinions are backed by research and evidence.
A current publication date is something within the last 10 years typically. This can be shorter in the sciences.
A bibliography or other references are important because they let us know where the author is getting their information from.
Read through the bibliography or works cited. Are there papers that are cited a lot? Are there other resources that might be useful to you?
Most of our databases include tools to help you find other people engaged in the conversation.
Look for areas of overlap in your reading. Keep these questions in mind:
RefWorks is a new way to collect, manage, and organize research. You can read, annotate, organize, and cite your research as well as collaborate by sharing collections.
From simple bibliographies to papers formatted with in-text citations or footnotes, RefWorks handles it all. To learn more about RefWorks, use our RefWorks research guide.
To create a RefWorks account:
Already have an account? Just go to the link below and click "Log In"