Overall strategy

A good overall strategy to use when using reference materials include:

• Select keywords on your topic
• Use synonyms (words that mean the same thing) to ensure you don't miss key concepts used in the field of study that have similar meanings
• Always be aware of being "too specific" or narrow in your search. You may miss valuable information because you are asking for too many things all at once. If your search results are too low, try to be more general in your approach.
• Consult appropriate reference sources
• Look up your topic in the reference sources you are using
• Read the article(s) and take notes
• Check articles for important authors, their works, and other related keywords and concepts

How to find materials not at Brock Library
During your research you will come across references to book titles, journal article titles and other materials that are not listed in the Brock Library Catalogue. This may happen when you have a reference from an encyclopedia article, a reference from another book title you already have, or even a reference from a journal index (discussed in the next section, Refining topic). Be aware that you can obtain these materials, in most cases, by using the Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery service at Brock University, if you allow sufficient time for the library to get the materials for you. Refer to How to find materials not at Brock on the library home page.