General Research Tips  

1. Ask for help. If you’re not sure where to start or later get stuck, please feel free to seek individual advice from a reference librarian. During the regular academic year, Law reference librarians are available Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. - 9 p.m. and on Friday from 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (Library hours and reference hours may vary for holidays and breaks.) Ask at the Information Desk to speak to a reference librarian or contact us directly: 

Rebecca Lutkenhaus, Reference Librarian
271-2053, rebecca.lutkenhaus@drake.edu

Karen Wallace, Circulation/Reference Librarian
271-2989, karen.wallace@drake.edu

David Hanson, Information Technology/Reference Librarian
271-2077, david.hanson@drake.edu

Deborah Sulzbach, Acquisitions/Reference Librarian
271-3784, deborah.sulzbach@drake.edu

Julie Thomas, Technical Services Librarian
271-2052, julie.thomas@drake.edu

2. Keep track of what you’ve done. Note sources searched and search terms used. This will help you, or anyone you later ask for advice, see if there are other avenues you may want to pursue. Software products like RefWorks or Zotero allow you to create a personal, annotated database of citations, which is a great way of keeping your research organized.

3. Start early. Research sometimes takes longer than anticipated. If we do not have a source you need at Drake, you may want to borrow it via Interlibrary Loan, which typically takes at least three or four days and can take considerably longer.

4. Consider your best starting place. The type of information you are seeking and the use you want to make of it help you determine which resource (e.g., Library catalog, LexisNexis, print index, etc.) to use to start your search. This is an instance when consulting with a librarian can save you quite a bit of time. 

5. Know the way the source is structured. What is covered (e.g., what dates are included)? Who produced it? Is this a reliable source? What is the database actually searching (e.g., full-text or index terms only)? Especially if you are completing a search form, be sure to read the entire thing, so you know what you are searching. Information about the database (or source within the database) can often be found from links such as "about," "i," "information," "?," "help," "publications," or "sources." 

6. Consider using the advanced search feature, if one is available. This can be a good way to conduct more complex, precise searches.

7. Look at the search hints (tips or help), if they are provided. Know what the default search is — are multiple words treated as a phrase, an "and," an "or," etc. How do you find both the singular and plural of a word? Are there any stop words?

8. Select search terms carefully and build on your results. Find out if the database uses a controlled vocabulary (e.g., a listing of words or terms used as subject headings or descriptors). If so, identify relevant terms from this list. If not, create a list of synonyms and related concepts, and try multiple search terms.

9. Put in "just enough" information. Putting in too little information will give you too many results to sift through. Putting in too much information can over limit your results. Finding the right balance often requires trial and error.

10. If at first you don’t succeed. . . There are multiple ways to search any database. If one doesn’t work (e.g., a straight title search), try another (e.g., a keyword search).