I am not sure where to search

Deciding Where to Search
Where you search often depends on what kind(s) of information you need. There are several factors to consider:

What type(s) of sources might you need?
Does your assignment recommend certain source types (e.g. peer-reviewed articles, newspaper articles, data, books, videos)? What role do sources play in the project?

Depending on the topic, you might look for books, articles, media coverage, or other online sources. If your topic is very new, there may not be many books or scholarly articles available because scholarly works can have a long publication process.

Who has written on/discussed your topic?
A topic like "race relations in prisons" might be explored by scholars in sociology, law, criminal justice, public policy, psychology, or ethnic studies. Search by discipline or your academic field by using the databases and other library resources recommended in the Subject and Course Guides.

Locating Sources

Books: Search OMNI. For help finding books, visit Find Books on a Topic.

Articles: Information on Finding Journal Articles. Search OMNI which contains scholarly, popular, and professional journal articles from most disciplines. Refine your results to Peer-Reviewed Journals and Articles. This is often a good place to start your research. Or search our Databases.

Subject-Specific Research: Browse the Subject and Course Guides for more specialized resources. Or you can search for a relevant Databases by Subject as well.

Primary Sources: See our guide to Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sources and the Finding Primary Sources in the Library guide.

Newspaper Sources: Go to Searching News Databases.

Looking for data? Go to our Find Data page. Or search Google for data on your topic. Search for
"[your topic] statistics" or "[your topic] data."

Government Information:

Carleton Library Government Information Page

Still not sure where to search? Use Ask a Librarian!

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