Generate
Follow your passion: Choose a topic that genuinely interests you and sparks your curiosity.
Brainstorm and organize: Use techniques like mind maps to generate and organize ideas, helping you see connections and potential research directions.
Dive into the research: Read extensively to understand the existing literature and identify gaps or unanswered questions.
Refine
Get specific: Narrow down your focus to a specific aspect of the topic to make your research more focused and impactful.
Seek guidance: Consult with professors or advisors to gain valuable insights and refine your research question.
Stay adaptable: Be open to revising and refining your topic as you gain more insights throughout the research process.
Create Keywords
Identify main concepts: Identify key ideas related to your research topic.
Brainstorm synonyms: Generate alternative terms and phrases.
Broaden and narrow terms: Include broader and narrower terms to capture more information.
Account for variations: Consider alternate spellings and word forms.
Boolean Operators
Use Boolean operators to search databases. Combine or exclude keywords with AND, OR, NOT.
Jakub T. Jankiewicz, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Refine Keywords
Experiment and refine: Test and adjust keywords based on search results.
Learn from relevant sources: Note keywords used in relevant articles or sources.
Include subject-specific vocabulary: Incorporate specialized terms.
Keep a record: Maintain a list for reference and consistency.
These shelf ranges are most likely to be relevant to topics in Political Science.
1. B-BJ: Philosophy, Psychology.
2. H: Social Sciences
3. J: Political Science
4. K : Law
1. On the library homepage, click Browse Full Text Journals under the search bar.
2. Search the library's Full Text Journal Finder by title (e.g. Global Social Sciences Review).
3. Select title from the list of results.
4. Choose the title from preferred collection. Some titles (e.g. Global Social Sciences Review) will have multiple collections to choose from. Others (e.g. Humanities and Social Sciences) will only have one.
How to Access Databases
1. On the library homepage, click A-Z Databases under the search bar.
2. At the top of the page, you will have the option to filter by subject , database type, and vendor. You will also have the option to search for a database by name.
3. Click the name of the database you want to be redirected to.
Direct Links
1. Go to the library website at https://library.lmunet.edu/library
2. Click on Advance Search beneath the search bar
3. Adjust Boolean Operators and Search Index as desired and enter Search Terms.
4. Scroll down to Search Tools, add any desired filters, and click search.
5. On the results pages, add more filters if desired, and click on the title you want.
6. For print titles, scroll to the bottom to see all shelving locations, call number, and availability. Write down the call number and find the item on the shelf.
For online access, click view eBook in the top right corner. You will be prompted to login with your LMU username and password if you are off campus. If you have trouble logging in, contact IS at 423.869.7411.
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association by 
The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition by