Beeline first for encyclopedia entries related to your topic. These can be amazingly helpful for giving you:
A good background understanding of your topic.
Keywords and names you can use when doing research in the catalogue.
In many cases, a bibliography of key sources at the end of an entry.
Take a quick look at the U of T start
your research page--it organizes encyclopedias
and other brief sources by subject.
Browse our online
research guides by subject (e.g. Graduate
Theology, Celtic Studies, English Literature or
Medieval Studies) or pick up the print copies beside
the reference desk. These will help you find what
you're looking for--fast. The U of T Library system
also has online
research guides--just look for your topic
alphabetically.
Learn to use the library catalogue (http://www.library.utoronto.ca/).
Just ask a reference librarian--the basics take only
10-15 minutes. These U of T (Scarborough) online
catalogue tutorial movies demonstrate the nuts and
bolts of basic and advanced searching.
Ask for a catalogue brochure--all U of T
libraries should have them.
Search the catalogue
for introductory books to build on the knowledge
you've already gained from the encyclopedia. Don't
bother reading the whole thing--just flip to the best
parts. Use the contents and index pages to help you do
this, and look out for bibliographies of useful books
at the end of chapters.
To find articles:, click the UofT Libraries search
and scroll down to your subject area (e.g. religion).
Clicking a subject will give you a list of indexes to
choose from. Here are a few key indexes we recommend:
When you find a really good article in an index,
make sure you write down the key info: title, author,
volume #, issue #, page #s and year. Sometimes
articles are available online in full-text.
Once you've got a good basic grasp of a general
topic, it's time to narrow your focus. Figure out what
interests you. Brainstorm thoughts and opinions about
the topic.
As you research in more depth, try to shape your
ideas into the Basic Essay Structure (see the
inside front cover). Ask yourself: What am I arguing?
Why do I think so? The answer to your first question
should be your thesis statement; the answer to the
second should be the main arguments supporting this
statement in the body of the paper.
Book an appointment at the Writing
Centre with Steve at
least 2 weeks in advance (call the Kelly Library
Reference Desk at 416-926-7114 ext. 3456 or the Kelly
Library Circulation Desk at 416-926-7114 ext. 3475 to
make an appointment).
Try to finish your rough draft at least a week
early--this will allow you plenty of time to
revise.
Now you're almost done, it's time to say in your
paper where you got your information--this normally
consists of documentation in the paper itself (e.g.
footnotes, endnotes or citations) and a Works Cited
(also called a bibliography). There are many
citation formats, such as MLA and APA. Click here for citation links.
St. Michael's College, U of T