UWP 101 (Ross)

If you are doing your research from off-campus, follow the instructions to set up the library’s VPN (virtual private network), Pulse Secure, so you can access journal articles, books and book chapters.

• Login to Pulse Secure with your UC Davis Kerberos ID and Duo two-factor authentication
• Check your Connection by accessing this article from the journal Computers in Human Behavior, about email communication strategies and team dynamics

☞ Help! I’ve tried and it’s not working. Check our FAQ or submit a Technical Support Request

Consider these questions as you begin your information research:

1. Topic/Research Question: What do you already know? What do you want to investigate?

Narrow the G_A_P to move from Topic to Research Question:

• • • Geography, i.e. location or setting
    • Aspect/Angle
    • Population

  TOPIC: Water contamination

  RESEARCH QUESTION: How has the detection of lead (A) in drinking water in U.S. cities (G) impacted children (P)?

  2. Sources: What types of information would inform your thinking?
  

  Types of Sources:	Research Tool:
  Scholarly Sources (Category A) Ebooks, Books & Book Chapters Peer-Reviewed Articles	UC Davis Library Catalog Databases (via Subject Guides)
  Non-scholarly, Reliable Sources (Category B) Newspaper & Magazine Articles Government Documents Respected Websites	Databases (via Subject Guides) Commercial Search Engine(s), e.g. DuckDuckGo, Google

   

  3. Search: What has been published in credible sources?

  4. Analyze/Refine: Revision is part of the research (and writing) process!

A few points to keep in mind:

1. The One Perfect Source may not exist
2. The publication timeline for information sources is variable. It takes a lot longer to publish a book or a scholarly article than it does to publish a newspaper article or a blog! If your topic is very recent, you may not find scholarly analysis of it because it hasn’t been published yet.
3. There are disciplinary differences in publishing trends. Some of you are more likely to find your scholarly sources in books; others in articles

Access World News

Use this database to search for news articles from thousands of sources from around the U.S. and the world.

CQ Researcher

This tool includes journalistic reports on a range of political and social-policy issues. Each report is footnoted and includes an overview, background section, chronology, bibliography and debate-style pro-con feature.

MasterFILE Premier

Search for articles published in thousands of reputable magazines.

New York Times

Note: Activate your UC Davis account by going to AccessNYT.com entering “University of California, Davis” and following the instructions.

MedlinePlus

This free site from the U.S. National Library of Medicine compiles high quality health information for the general public. Find background information and statistics about a variety of health conditions, as well as links to credible medical organizations.

The Atlantic: Essential Coronavirus Coverage

Browse magazine articles about different aspects of the pandemic. Note: The UC Davis Library has fulltext access to content from The Atlantic through several databases, including MasterFILE Premier.

The Economist: Coverage of the Coronavirus

See the instructions to set up your account and access news articles from The Economist.

What is Peer Review? (pdf)

APA Citation Style Resources

Chat, Email, or Make An Appointment with a Librarian (for assistance with your research)

Make an Appointment with a Writing Specialist or Tutor or Submit Writing for Feedback (for feedback on your draft)