https://www.hpu.edu/library

LIBRARY LOCATIONS

Locations:

Library at Waterfront 6 302

Learning Commons at ATM

Research is a Process

Preliminary Research

Helps you narrow your topic by finding out how much information is out there and understanding the basics of a topic by obtaining Background Information.

Encyclopedia Articles
Books
CQ Reports or Topic Overviews

2. Helps you get an idea of which specific aspects of your topic you will want to do more detailed reading about.

Concept Mapping
Keywords and Discipline Terminology

HPU

Discovery

Gale eBooks

CQ Researcher

Opposing Viewpoints

Concept Mapping

A concept map or "mindmap" is a simple way to display ideas and relationships among concepts visually. Creating one can help you organize your ideas, define your topic, display important events, discipline terminology, and keywords.

Activity

Create a concept map or list of potential keywords.

(6 Minutes)

HPU Discovery

Filter Your Results

Access

Electronic Content

Other Databases

Library Databases

Curated collections of academic sources that provide access to peer-reviewed and evidence-based materials that are not freely available online.

1. Primary sources: These provide direct evidence about the topic of your research question (e.g., newspapers, diary entries, photographs, data, statistics, primary/original research studies).

2. Secondary sources: These interpret or analyze information from primary sources (e.g., books, summaries, reviews, meta-analysis).

3. Tertiary sources offer a summary of a topic, event or condition and include primary and secondary sources. Many reference books such as encyclopedias and CQ Researcher reports are considered tertiary sources.

Three Types of Research Sources

Search Engines

Searches the open web and prioritize results based on popularity, user data, and advertising, which can lead to a mix of credible and non-credible sources. Because their algorithms are influenced by your search history, location, and behavior, they can create a “filter bubble” that reinforces existing views and limits exposure to diverse perspectives.

AI in Searches

Some AI search engines, like Perplexity.ai and certain modes of ChatGPT, include footnotes, source links, or context sections that you can click on to explore the original sources and verify the information provided in the AI's response.

Access Databases

Databases by alphabetical order.

Subscription vs Open Access Databases

Subscription databases require payment or institutional access and provide high-quality, peer-reviewed content not freely available to the public. Open access sources are freely available online to anyone, though subscription databases often offer more comprehensive coverage and research tools.

Open Access

UH Scholar Space

The Contemporary Pacific

Directory of Open Access Journals

Multidisciplinary vs Specialized Databases

Background Information

Finding background information will help you better understand the topic and give you ideas on aspects to focus on and proper terminology to use, stakeholders and dicsiplines to look into.