Research Process Overview

• A. Identifying and Developing a Research Topic
• B. Finding Background Information
• C. Using the Boğaziçi University Library Catalog
  • 1. Accessing the Online Catalog
  • 2. Conducting a Search on the Catalog
  • 3. Making Sense of the Catalog
    • a. Location
      • i. Collections at Boğaziçi University Library
      • ii. Finding What You Are Looking for in the Collections
    • b. Call Number
      • i. Dissecting the Call Number
      • ii. Library of Congress
    • c. Status
  • 4. Journals, Indexes, Abstracts, and Newspapers
• D. Finding Internet Sources
• E. Evaluating What You Find
• F. Citing What You Find Using a Standard Format

A. Identifying and Developing a Research Topic

State your topic as a question. For example:

“How Does Global Warming Affect Wildlife?”

“How Do the Economic Aspects of Global Warming Affect Development Aid?”

Before embarking on your research, identify the main concepts or keywords in your question. If you find too much information, narrow your topic using more specific keywords or Boolean operators. If too little information is found, broaden your topic by considering synonyms.

B. Finding Background Information

Boğaziçi University Library uses a computerized catalog system called Sierra. The catalog can be accessed from anywhere on campus or remotely. It provides access to bibliographic details of books and other publications held by the library.

C. Using the Boğaziçi University Library Catalog

The electronic catalog system, Sierra, allows users to conduct both general subject searches and detailed bibliographic searches.

1. Accessing the Online Catalog

The catalog can be accessed from public terminals in the Library. The main terminals are located on the ground floor near the Circulation Desk.

2. Conducting a Search on the Catalog

Sierra enables both known-item searches (author/title) and subject-based searches.

3. Making Sense of the Catalog

The catalog provides three key pieces of information: Location, Call Number, and Status.

LOCATION: General Collection
CALL #: PL248.A525 P87 2006
STATUS: DUE 24-04-08 +1 HOLD

b. Call Number

The call number indicates the exact shelf location of a book and follows the Library of Congress Classification System.

D. Finding Internet Sources

Search engines provide access to a wide range of online resources. A useful guide can be found at:

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.html

E. Evaluating What You Find

Evaluating authority, reliability, and usefulness is a crucial research step. See:

http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/evaluate.html

F. Citing What You Find Using a Standard Format

Citing sources gives credit and allows verification. Available style guides include:

• MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
• The Chicago Manual of Style
• Concise Rules of APA Style