Undergraduate Library Research

UK Libraries has a huge number of resources, and it can be hard to know how to get started.  Be sure to look at our Research Guides to see if there is a Subject or Course Guide that will help you.  These guides can point you to the best resources for your research area or course assignment.  For example, check out these guides for WRD 110 and CIS 110.

Were you asked by your instructor to find Scholarly Articles?  You can find those in a number of databases and journals, but you might want to start with Academic Search Complete, which is a good general academic database.

You can search via the link above or in the box below. It's a good idea to check the box to limit to Peer Reviewed journal articles if you were asked to find peer reviewed/scholarly articles.

Introduction to UK Libraries is an interactive tutorial highlighting important resources and services such as research guides, printing, and more!

Some tips to get you started:

• Understand your assignment.  What kind of information do you need?  Peer-reviewed journal articles, newspaper articles, books?

• Know your deadlines.  It is so much easier to do your research early so that you will have plenty of time to write your paper.

• Develop your topic.  Narrowing your broad idea to a specific question you want to research will save you much time and effort.

• Brainstorm keywords.  Think about keywords related to each aspect of your topic to help in searching.

If you run into any trouble at any point in your research process, you can always Ask Us for help. 

Another advantage to starting your research early: you can schedule a consultation with a librarian. Librarians are here to help you navigate the many resources available to you, and a consultation is a great opportunity to make sure you are looking in the right places. Librarians are glad to help!

Make sure you can access all your accounts.

• Your InfoKat account: find due dates, renew books, see any fines, track your requests, save records and searches. Learn more about your borrowing privileges.
• Your LinkbBlue account: get off-campus access to databases, articles, e-books, and more.
• Your ILLiad account (uses your linkblue credentials): place orders, renew loans, access articles. Learn more about Interlibrary Loan.
• It's a great idea to create your own accounts in EBSCOhost, JSTOR, Web of Science Core Collection, and other resources to save searches, records, make lists, etc.

You can get in-depth research help.

• You can request a research consultation at any time.

• You can work with a librarian with expertise in a specific subject area.

You can request the library materials you need for your research.

• Recommend library materials for purchase.
• You have access to items in our campus libraries, storage, or from other libraries which you can request to pick up at any campus library.
• You can request access to items that UK Libraries doesn't own via your ILLiad account.

You can use rooms in the library for your work.

• Young Library: study rooms and other meeting rooms.
• Little Fine Arts Library: study rooms and other meeting rooms.
• Science & Engineering Library: study rooms and meeting room.

If you have any questions, please ask your librarian. We're here to help you.