Handouts and instructions will be provided during the session.

NCSU Libraries, 2015

Currency: the timeliness of the information

Relevance: the importance of the information for your needs

Authority: the source of the information

Accuracy: the reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the content

Purpose: the reason the information exists

Create your OpenAthens account: The way you log into our research databases has changed! To access, register for your new OpenAthens account.

To sign into Bearcat Search: Select Login using: CAS. You will be prompted to enter your MyLander user name and password.

Learn more about how to use our new system, Bearcat Search.

When choosing databases to use for your research, there are several factors to consider:

• the academic subjects covered (does your topic span outside your discipline?)
• the types of materials included (e.g. scholarly journal articles, professional reports, images of works of art, encyclopedia articles, popular magazine articles)
• the availability of full text of articles
• date range of materials covered

If you have a general topic, and are not sure where to search, it is a good idea to start in Academic Search Complete, which is a general database with some information on almost every topic.

Choosing the right database is one of the most important parts of the research process. If you are not familiar with the databases, ask a librarian for help.

Need help with citations? It's always best to go to the source. Check out our Citation Resources page.

If you need one-on-one assistance, contact the Lander University Writing Center for an appointment.