Before you begin your research, you'll need to think about what words and phrases you want to use (your keywords)--this is sometimes the most challenging, especially for students used to asking a question in Google or typing a whole sentence into a search bar.
Keywords need to be both specific enough to help you find appropriate research, but also not so specific that you can't find appropriate research. Think of it this way: if you're researching how tablets can be integrated into the elementary school classroom, you could use "tablets" and "elementary" and "classroom" as your keywords. Try that and see what you get, but also think about other phrases: technology, children, education, etc. Those other words aren't as specific as your first set, but you will probably find information using those terms, too. "Tablets" might be too specific for some research--they might look at technology in the classroom as a whole, but tablets would be part of that and you could use that information.
To make the most out of Google scholar, do the following to see which articles you have access to (for free!) through the Muskingum University resources.
Click on the three horizontal bars on the left side of Google Scholar. Then click on "Settings."
On the next screen, click on "Library Links."
Type "Muskingum University" into the search bar and click the magnifying glass image to search. "Muskingum University Library--Find It! @ Muskingum" will appear below the search bar.
Click the box in front of that and click "save." Your Google Scholar Searches will now let you know if you can access an article for free via the Muskingum resources.
If your research assignment required "peer reviewed" or "academic journals," it's quite easy to ensure your sources meet that requirement.
Start with the databases available to you through Muskingum University:
On the left side of the Library's website, click on "Databases." You'll see this image, with the alphabet below it:
If you already know the name of the database you should use, click on the letter appropriate to the first letter of the database and scroll until you find the one you want.
If you don't know which database(s) to use, the "All Subjects" pull-down menu is very helpful. Using that pull-down menu, look for your academic subject field (English, Sociology, Physics etc.) and click on the academic subject. If you're looking for a specific type of resource, for example, newspapers, the use the second pull-down for your type of resource. The "Best Bets" from either search will be grouped at the top of the result. Please note that the databases are in alphabetical order, so the first database isn't always the BEST one. For a good search of resources, you should never limit yourself to just one database if multiple databases are suggested.
If you're doing general research or are taking an introductory course, consider using "Academic Search Complete" as your starting resource: it's a great general database.
