Literature Research

This page provides suggestions for where to start doing research and what library resources to use.

Starting Places

OneSearch: OneSearch is the library’s main search tool. It provides library researchers with the ability to search a majority of the library’s databases in a single search. Using OneSearch, a researcher can identify articles, books, book chapters, nearly any material available through the library and quickly gain access to the material online, in the library, or via the library’s Interlibrary Loan services. Access to OneSearch is available directly from the library’s website, or use the widget below.

Suggestion: When constructing a search, think carefully about what type of information is being sought and enter keywords that reflect the primary topics to be covered in the search. For example, a researcher asking the question, “What are the primary religious themes that are explored in Flannery O'Connor's short story 'A Good Man Is Hard To Find'?” would isolate the main concepts from the question and enter those as the search strategy. The topics “religion” and “good man is hard to find” entered into OneSearch work well as a strategy for finding books, books chapters, and articles from a variety of sources that cover religious aspects of O'Connor's story. Don’t over-think or over-describe the topic. Your search results will likely be too limited or non-existent. Begin with a more general approach, review the results for other key concepts, and then place limits on the results as necessary. OneSearch also searches the library's catalog.

Interlibrary Loan: Researchers are not limited just to the UNF Library’s collections when it comes to borrowing materials. ILL (Interlibrary Loan) is a cooperative borrowing system that allows our library to share with and borrow materials from other libraries. This means that UNF students, faculty and staff can request print or electronic materials from almost any library in the world. It can take as little as 24-hours to receive a scan of an article or book, whereas it may take several weeks to receive a requested print item.

OneSearch