Research Tips
Depending on your subject, web resources like Google, Google Scholar and Wikipedia can be a good place to START your research, just don't finish there. The following tips can help make your web use more efficient:
- The web can be especially useful for finding information from governments, associations, think tanks and NGOs, since governments often have a mandate to publish electronically and resources from organizations that don't publish scholarly journal articles may not be indexed in databases.
- Look at the references you get and if you are asked for payment, then use the Library website to access full-text of scholarly resources. If you use Google Scholar, make sure to set your Scholar Preferences so that Cornell is listed as your library links and you get the Get it! Cornell links that will let you access articles off campus.
- Google Scholar in particular is also good for verifying scholarly citations and for doing interdisciplinary searches.
- Look for portals dedicated to particular subjects, directories, and for bibliographies and other lists of resources to add to your research.
- Use Wikipedia and other web sites to find keywords that can be used to search for books in the Library Catalog or for articles!
Looking for grey literature?
- GreyNet InternationalWebsite for finding scholarly literature in places outside of published journals such as conference proceedings, organizational websites and government reports.
Smarter Google Scholar
Set your Google Scholar Preferences so that Google recognizes you as a Cornell person, and knows what you have access to.
- In Google Scholar, go to Scholar Preferences
- Under Library Links settings, set to Cornell and under Bibliogrpahy Manager, choose RefWorks
- Now, Get it! Cornell appears in your search results, when that item is available as well as links to Export to RefWorks