Research papers typically require students to venture out into the world of academic literature in order to gain insight into a topic. Typically only reputable, peer-reviewed sources should be used to support your arguments. If you’re scared of the intimidating Elizabeth Dafoe Library (which you shouldn’t be), my guess is that you’ll probably venture on to Google to see what you can find on the topic you’re researching. Using a basic search engine, you’re going to find a whole lot of material that may be interesting, but not particularly useful. Sites like Wikipedia or Joe Blow’s Blog may be informative, but they don’t quite have the same clout as the publications of experts in the field you’re studying.
This isn’t to say that the Internet is useless when it comes to research. Not at all. However, when you’re on the lookout for reputable scholarly literature, try Google Scholar. This search engine will provide you with legitimate, peer-reviewed publications from the best and brightest.
Greg
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Thanks for the post! I just wanted to let you know that you can have the best of both worlds with Google Scholar if you get to it via the Libraries' website: easy searching and quick access to the articles you find.
We set things up so that you can see links to articles the library subscribes to support your research. Go to http://umanitoba.ca/libraries/online/proxy.php?http://scholar.google.com Try it out, and look for "UM Links" after each citation.
Lyle Ford
Acting Head, Reference Services
Elizabeth Dafoe Library
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