Brainstorming
Tips for good brainstorming:
- All ideas welcome
- The more ideas, the better
- Don’t worry about duplicates yet
- No evaluating ideas yet - write it all down!
- Welcome “crazy” ideas
- Build on what others have started
- Give it time
Getting Started: Reference Books
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new windowSearch the full-text of encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri, and other full-text reference books. Access to individual reference titles is also available from the Bertrand Library catalog.
Getting Started: Presearching
At the beginning of the research process, it's a good idea to do some "pre-searching." This is looking for relevant websites, reference books, and scholarly materials - but only the titles and abstracts (summaries) at this point. This should give you an idea of:
- How much information is out there on your topic
- Whether you will actually like your topic throughout the assignment process
- Special terminology that might be helpful when looking for more library resources on your topic
Do not dive head-first into a topic without a little bit of pre-searching first!
General databases to get started:
- WorldCat Library Catalog This link opens in a new windowSearch for books, articles, and more that are held by Bucknell and beyond.
- Gale Virtual Reference Library This link opens in a new windowAn online collection of encyclopedias, dictionaries and other reference sources Business, environment, history, library science, medicine, multicultural studies, religion, sciences and social science.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowAn archive of core, scholarly journals from a variety of subject areas. Coverage begins with the very first issue through all but recent years.
- Google Scholar This link opens in a new windowGoogle Scholar searches for scholarly materials in journals, books, and other sources. Will also display Bucknell's full-text access if Library Link is enabled.
Librarian
Mary Broussard
she/her/hers
Contact:
570-577-1140
Subjects: Africana Studies, Animal Behavior, Art and Art History, Biology, Chemistry, Classics, Comparative & Digital Humanities, Critical Black Studies, East Asian Studies, Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, Latin American Studies, Medicine, Philosophy, Physics and Astronomy, Religious Studies, Theatre and Dance