Psychology Librarian
Starting Out
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Identifying your information needsThis 3-minute video provides a brief overview of conducting preliminary or background research, as well as some tips on where to look and how to organize what you find.
Note: The video has a transcript. Click "Transcripts" under the video window.
Information Needs
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Sources to Meet NeedsThis chapter in "Choosing & Using Sources: A Guide to Academic Research” by Ohio State University Libraries is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
This book chapter discusses five "information needs" you may come across while writing your paper:
- To learn background information
- To answer your research question
- To convince your audience
- To describe the situation
- To report on what others have said
Identifying which need you are trying to fill can help you decide what types of sources to look for - and where to look for them.
Background Research
Here are a few resources you can use to gather background information on your field or topic. While these might not be sources you can use for your literature review, they can help you get a better sense of issues and topics of interest in your field so you know what to search for later on.
Use background research to help identify
- Fundamental or current issues in your field
- Experts and scholars in your field
- Questions you have about your field
