Research Guides: Library Orientation for New SJU Students: Get Started on Papers and Projects

Getting Started

Ready to Start your Research?

Have you

Read about and discussed your chosen topic with your instructor or classmates?
Tested your topic idea by finding background information to see if it will be interesting and feasible to research further?
Tried turning your topic into one or more research questions, or tried writing a potential thesis statement?

Thinking about these things first will help you save time and energy when searching for sources. When you're ready to find sources, you can get started by using the Primo Library Search or using a Research Guide to find recommended databases.

Two Places to Get Started

Primo Library Search
Primo has the widest coverage of the library's resources. It is a great place to start your search.
Research Guides
Research Guides give tips for conducting research on a specific topic or for a specific class. Use them to independently get started on your research.

Tips for Using Primo

After searching, narrow down the results by using the limiters on the left side of the results page.

- Available online will limit to articles and books immediately available electronically.

- Available at the Library will limit to physical items (Books and DVDs) found on the library shelves.

- Peer-reviewed Journals will limit your results to scholarly articles.

You can also filter by Resource Type and Date.