Paul Meek Library FAQs

Research can be a bit overwhelming at first, but the library is here to help! Check out these tools to get started.

Research Guides: There are guides for majors, departments, courses, and general help. The librarians select the best resources to help you get started researching in your particular field. These tools include encyclopedias, databases, and websites. 

A-Z Databases: Databases contain collections of information, usually scholarly articles. You can find a database by subject, or you can start with one of our large databases that apply to most majors, located on the right side of your screen. 

PML Search: This is the main search box on our library website. This allows you to search many different databases at once, and find books, images, articles, news, video, AND MORE!

Your research process might look something like this:

1. Brainstorm for your topic. Do some preliminary searching in encyclopedias or online to see what kinds of topics exist. 
2. Search for articles, news, statistics, books, images, video, or other sources for your topic. 
3. Skim through a few articles (read the abstract).
4. Decide if you need to modify, narrow, or broaden your topic. Are you finding a lot of articles you don't understand? Are you finding too much or not enough information? Is the research current? 
5. Repeat this process throughout your paper. 
6. You may not find articles that address all parts of your research question.
   • For example, if my research question is "How do college students perceive news shared on Social Media?"
   • I may find articles that address news and college students; news and social media; and college students and Facebook; college students and Twitter
   • I can then synthesize this research together 

The librarians can help you at any point during this process!

Researchers are kind of like detectives. You need to find all your evidence (articles, books, news) to build your case and argue for your point. Give yourself plenty of time and don't be afraid to experiment with your searching.

We also encourage you to reach out to a librarian for help! There are lots of ways you can do this. We love to hear about your research projects, and we can help you find the information you need!

• Text us at (731) 503-4874
• Chat with us
• Make an Appointment to meet with a librarian in person.