In my years as a student and working with students, I’ve watched many students find sources by searching a set of keywords, choosing the first few responses that make sense, and then finding a way to fit them into the project (which could be a paper or presentation). It seems easy to find sources this way, but it makes the work more difficult AND takes more time. -Dr. Lepore

A careful search process takes planning but leads to sources that will be much easier to work with.

Before you begin, make sure you are clear about your question. By the time you write your question, you should have enough background knowledge to identify 3-5 things you need to learn about to answer your question.
For our example on procrastination:

Question: How does procrastination affect happiness in college students? Or what do Lehman students need to know about happiness and procrastination?

I know I need to understand:

• What happiness levels are and what affects happiness in college students
• How students procrastinate and how it affects them
• Specific studies related to procrastination and happiness
• Specific studies related to the factors that affect happiness (ie: stress or time management) and how they are affected by procrastination

Steps in identifying sources:

1. 1. Generate keywords for each of the searches (the 3-5 things you need to learn about)
   2. Review the guidelines from your professor on what types of sources you should use
   3. Find sources

For this project, students often use at least 10 sources based on:

• encyclopedia/reference entries from the library, using CREDO or Gale Ebooks or Gale Opposing Views 
  Your instructor may require other library databases or reference material from the internet.
• non-profit organizations, professional associations, trade associations
• popular media sources to provide recent information and context
  Sources like apnews.com, reuters.com, or the New York Times are a good place to start however you may also find news sources that are specific to your population (for example, Bronx Times) or Inside Higher Ed (for college information, though this is geared towards running a college, not being a student)
• scholarly peer-reviewed journal articles (from the library databases)
• entries of your choice

Your instructor will tell you what types of sources and how many to use. This can vary based on the course topic and what your class is doing.

Getting started

• • Determine where you need to look for sources (for example, library databases, an internet search engine like google, a periodical like the New York Times, etc)
  • Spend time searching, looking for sources that:
    • Meet your requirements
    • Help you answer your question
    • Are written in a way you can read and understand them (even if it takes effort)

If you find yourself needing support, you should reach out to the Lehman Library’s reference desk. A librarian can help you identify keywords, create a strategy to find sources, and help you work through the process.

For more information on finding and using sources:

• • Library guides: library resources for students
  • Writing Research Papers Library Research Guide note: Although you are not necessarily writing a paper, the same principles apply for finding sources and organizing them.
  • Excelsior College’s Online Writing Lab