LibGuides: Research Help 101: Finding Materials

So ... now what?

So...you have picked your topic and decided on some keywords you might use for your project. At HPU, we have hundreds of databases and thousands of information sources to choose from. So ... where do you start?

Different types of information sources will provide you with different types of materials:

GENERAL SOURCES (such as encyclopedias) will give you a wide overview of your topic; facts, statistics, background, and so on.
IN-DEPTH SOURCES (such as books), will add further detail, examples and variety to your topic.
NARROW-FOCUS SOURCES (such as scholarly journals), will add depth and fine detail to your research.

Please ASK a librarian at any stage for further help!

Find GENERAL Sources

Reference sources can be a great place to go for general background information, definitions, and overviews of a particular topic. HPU Libraries provides access to a number of subject encyclopedias. Not finding what you need? Just ask a librarian!

Credo Reference via NC LIVE This link opens in a new window
Credo is a database of background content, containing full-text entries to help learn the basics of any topic. Start your research here to focus your topic, find keywords and people, and discover more in-depth books and articles.
Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
Search individual or multiple online encyclopedias and dictionaries covering a wide range of subjects, from science to education to history.

Find IN-DEPTH Sources

When doing research, you will also need to search the Library Catalog to find books, DVDs, streaming video, and other items for your research. You can use the catalog box below to start a search, and remember to Ask a Librarian for more help!

Find NARROW-FOCUS Sources

For your academic research, you will often need to find scholarly, peer-reviewed articles from our library databases. Here are a few of our most popular databases for general research to get you started. Remember to Ask a Librarian for more help with keyword searching, finding the full text of an article, using Journal Finder, and getting an article or journal through Interlibrary Loan.

Top Databases for General Research:

Academic OneFile This link opens in a new window
Access to thousands of magazines, newspapers, and scholarly, peer-reviewed journals in a wide range of subjects.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
This database provides access to historical coverage of scholarly journals in a wide range of disciplines. Coverage goes back to the first issue (some as far back as the 1800s), but does not include the most recent issues (usually last 3-5 years).
ScienceDirect This link opens in a new window
Provides full-text access to thousands of core titles in the Social and Life Sciences, as well as access to the Elsevier journal collection.
ProQuest Central via NC LIVE This link opens in a new window
The ultimate cross-disciplinary research tool, ProQuest Central brings together 30 of our most highly used databases to create the largest single academic research resource available today.

ADD ... Newspaper Sources

For your research, you also may need to consult Newspaper Sources. Here are a few of our top newspaper collections.

News & Newspapers in ProQuest This link opens in a new window
In addition to prominent and respected titles like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, Financial Times, and others, News & Newspapers also offers curated regional, specialty and international news titles and collections for a wide spectrum of viewpoints and counterviewpoints over time.
New York Times on ProQuest via NC LIVE This link opens in a new window
Current, full-text access to the NYT from 1980 to present. Includes the Late Edition Daily plus the Sunday newspaper.
Wall Street Journal via NC LIVE This link opens in a new window
Full text access to the Wall Street Journal, which covers breaking news and current headlines from the U.S. and around the world. Users can also set up alerts for the latest articles on topics of interest. Full text coverage from 1984 - present.

ADD ... Statistics & Data

These are just a few of the statistics and data resources that may relate to your research topic. You can find additional resources on our Statistics & Data guide, or ask a librarian for help!

Pew Research Center
This project provides independent public opinion survey research about American attitudes toward politics and policy.

Statista This link opens in a new window
Statistical data on over 80,000 topics, and reports on companies, products, markets, and industries. Statistics and reports are formatted in clear visualizations and include their citation information, as well as links to related sources and topic reports.
Statistical Abstracts of the United States on ProQuest via NC LIVE This link opens in a new window
The Statistical Abstracts of the United States were compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau, and represents a collection of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States. ProQuest offers the most recent editions of the Statistical Abstracts.

ADD ... Online Visual Resources

Artstor via JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Digital library of over one million images in the arts, architecture, humanities and social sciences. From the linked JSTOR homepage, click the "Images" tab to search the visual materials collection.
BiblioBoard Anthologies This link opens in a new window
Contains anthologies, which are curated collections of books, images, documents, artifacts, sounds and video related to a specific theme. BiblioBoard's anthologies differ in size and scope, but generally you will find dozens of books and other pieces of media related to a topic.