UWP 1: Introduction to Academic Literacies

To search from off campus, make sure you download, install and configure the library’s VPN, Pulse Secure.

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Develop a strategy! This will help you focus your search, locate relevant information and save time.

1. Consider Sources and Search Tools

Good research and writing draws on information from a variety of sources. Think about the types of secondary research that could inform your thinking about your research question:

2. Identify Keywords

a. Identify the key concepts in your research question.

Example: What are the genres of writing in biology?

b. Build on your key concepts to create a Keyword Search (watch through 1:53)

Example: (genres or conventions or discourse) and (writing or composing or authorship) and biology

3. Trace Citations

Looking up the References at the end of encyclopedia entries and other sources can lead you to additional relevant information.

• See How To Trace Citations (PDF)
• There are multiple strategies for tracing citations. If you are not able to find a source, ask a librarian for additional suggestions.

Books are typically broad in scope and can be very helpful for providing context and orienting you to a topic.

1. Watch

• Finding e-Books (2:42)

2. Search 

The UC Davis Library Catalog tells you what the library owns or has access to.

• Reading and Writing Strategies:
  • Authorship – psychological aspects
  • “Critical reading”
  • “English language rhetoric” AND “report writing”
  • “Reading comprehension”
  • “Writer’s block” OR “writing block*”
  • “Writing processes”

• Writing Genres and Communication Conventions:
  • “Academic writing”
  • “Business communication”
  • “Business writing”
  • Communication in <your field> e.g. communication in engineering
  • Legal composition
  • Medical writing
  • Proposal writing for grants
  • “Report writing” <your field> e.g. “report writing” psychology
  • “Scientific writing”
  • “Technical writing”
  • <your field> authorship e.g. “political science” authorship

See also: eBooks: Access Online Books During Library Building Closures

Consider using one of these citation managers to keep track of your sources and generate citations:

• F1000Workspace
• Mendeley

For information about additional tools, see the library’s Citation Manager Comparison.

• Ask a Librarian (24/7 online chat service staffed by librarians from the U.S. and U.K.)
• Drop-in Research Help (available Monday-Friday 10am-5pm via Zoom)
• Find Your Subject Librarian