Start early! Researching the night before is not going to cut it. Start as early as you can to make sure you can locate the best sources. Depending on how involved your project is, this may involve ordering books from OhioLINK, visiting other libraries, or ordering items via interlibrary loan.

Ask for help. If you are having problems finding something in the library or can't seem to find any information on your topic, ask for assistance from the circulation desk, give us a call or e-mail us.

• If you need help ordering things from OhioLINK or using the OhioLINK databases, visit the tutorials on the library homepage.

• Use the records you find. Maybe you bring up an item that does not fit exactly what you are looking for, but use the subject headings and call numbers to your advantage. For example, this book on business ethics may not be what you are looking for, but you can find some valuable information on this record:

• Notice that they give a subject (business ethics). If you click on that link, you will retrieve all the books at Urbana listed under the subject of business ethics.

• Also, you can use the call number as a starting place to browse through the collection. You know you would like a book on this topic, so why not cruise by the call number HF 5387 to see what else we have on that subject.

• If you find a book or article that really helps you, check out their bibliography to find the resources they used. To use our business ethics example again, say you find the perfect book on your topic. Most books have a bibliography or works cited at the end of the text. You can search for those items also to see if they have more information you can use.

• If you find an item and/or author you like, pay attention to what they mention. If someone mentions another critic or author again and again, it may be because she is an important person in that particular field.

• Most books have Library of Congress Publication data included in the front of the book. This is usually located on the back side of the title page, but is sometimes located at the back of the book. This information includes subject headings and a call number for the book. Use this information to search for more items like the one you have.

• If you need to order an article or book that you cannot find in OhioLINK, fill out an interlibrary loan form. They are located at the circulation desk. You can also print out the record that you find and staple it to the interlibrary loan form.

• If you have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism, ask your professor or the nearest English professor. If you are confused, it is best to ask before you get yourself in trouble.