Picking a Research Topic
You will likely start with a general or broad topic, and gradually narrow that topic as you begin to research and write about it. Narrowing down your research topic makes your research easier and increases your ability to persuade your audience. As you begin researching, look for opportunities to narrow your research question.
Research is a process. You probably won’t find everything you need on the first try. You may have to try several library databases to find all the information you need. If you get stuck, try looking in a different database or changing up your keywords.
Developing Keywords
You will likely start with a general or broad topic, and gradually narrow that topic as you begin to research and write about it. Narrowing down your research topic makes your research easier and increases your ability to persuade your audience. As you begin researching, look for opportunities to narrow your research question.
Research is a process. You probably won’t find everything you need on the first try. You may have to try several library databases to find all the information you need. If you get stuck, try looking in a different database or changing up your keywords.
Developing Keywords
Credo Reference
Articles from dictionaries, general and subject encyclopedias, handbooks, atlases, and more.
Gale eBooks
Selected dictionaries, encyclopedias, and reference books in many subjects.
Articles from dictionaries, general and subject encyclopedias, handbooks, atlases, and more. Gale eBooks
Selected dictionaries, encyclopedias, and reference books in many subjects.
Ferguson's Career Guidance Center
Resources for college and career exploration and planning. Research professions, job preparation, scholarships, and more.
Salem Career Database
Ebook Encyclopedias on different careers from Salem Press.
Resources for college and career exploration and planning. Research professions, job preparation, scholarships, and more.
Salem Career Database
Ebook Encyclopedias on different careers from Salem Press.
Academic Search Complete (EBSCOhost)
Articles in all subjects from scholarly journals, magazines, and newspapers. An all-purpose database and often a good place to start.
Academic OneFile (Gale)
Articles in all subjects from scholarly journals, magazines, and newspapers. An all-purpose database.
JSTOR
Scholarly articles, ebooks, and primary sources in the social sciences, humanities, earth and biological sciences, and more. Includes images from libraries, museums, and archives.
Articles in all subjects from scholarly journals, magazines, and newspapers. An all-purpose database and often a good place to start.
Academic OneFile (Gale)
Articles in all subjects from scholarly journals, magazines, and newspapers. An all-purpose database. JSTOR
Scholarly articles, ebooks, and primary sources in the social sciences, humanities, earth and biological sciences, and more. Includes images from libraries, museums, and archives.
ProQuest News & Newspapers
News (Gale OneFile)
Selected newspapers and newswires from the United States and around the world.
Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub - BETA
A collection of digitized Minnesota newspapers provided by the Minnesota Historical Society. The years covered vary but most are from the 19th century.
New York Times - Historical Access (ProQuest)
New York Times newspaper articles from 1851 - 4 years ago.
News articles from U.S. newspapers. Includes the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Star Tribune, and many local newspapers.
News (Gale OneFile)
Selected newspapers and newswires from the United States and around the world. Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub - BETA
A collection of digitized Minnesota newspapers provided by the Minnesota Historical Society. The years covered vary but most are from the 19th century.
New York Times - Historical Access (ProQuest)
New York Times newspaper articles from 1851 - 4 years ago.
Science
Science (Gale OneFile)
Articles from scholarly science journals and science and industry magazines.
ScienceDirect
Journal articles in the health and life sciences.
Literature
Gale Literature
Searches all Gale literature databases at once: Gale Literature Criticism, Gale Literature Resource Center, LitFinder, Scribner Writers Series, Twayne's Author Series, Something About the Author, and the Dictionary of Literary Biography.
Health Sciences
CINAHL Complete
Peer-reviewed research articles from health care journals, nursing Continuing Education (CE) modules, standards of practice, evidence-based care sheets, and some health care ebooks. The primary database for nursing research.
Nursing & Allied Health Premium (ProQuest)
Articles from academic and trade publications in nursing and allied health professions. Includes a video library of clinical trainings in nursing..
Alt HealthWatch (EBSCOhost)
Journal articles and reports covering complementary, holistic, and integrated approaches to health care and wellness.
Business
Business Source Premier (Advanced Search)
Business Source Premier covers all aspects of business, including marketing, management, MIS, POM, accounting, finance, econometrics, economics, industry and market research reports. Includes peer-reviewed, scholarly publications, searchable references; trade journals, and monographs.
Education
ERIC (EBSCOhost)
The largest database of articles on education topics.
Science (Gale OneFile)
Articles from scholarly science journals and science and industry magazines. ScienceDirect
Journal articles in the health and life sciences. Literature
Gale Literature
Searches all Gale literature databases at once: Gale Literature Criticism, Gale Literature Resource Center, LitFinder, Scribner Writers Series, Twayne's Author Series, Something About the Author, and the Dictionary of Literary Biography. Health Sciences
CINAHL Complete
Peer-reviewed research articles from health care journals, nursing Continuing Education (CE) modules, standards of practice, evidence-based care sheets, and some health care ebooks. The primary database for nursing research.
Nursing & Allied Health Premium (ProQuest)
Articles from academic and trade publications in nursing and allied health professions. Includes a video library of clinical trainings in nursing..
Alt HealthWatch (EBSCOhost)
Journal articles and reports covering complementary, holistic, and integrated approaches to health care and wellness. Business
Business Source Premier (Advanced Search)
Business Source Premier covers all aspects of business, including marketing, management, MIS, POM, accounting, finance, econometrics, economics, industry and market research reports. Includes peer-reviewed, scholarly publications, searchable references; trade journals, and monographs.
Education
ERIC (EBSCOhost)
The largest database of articles on education topics.
Call, e-mail, or chat with a librarian for more research assistance. We're happy to help!
(952) 358-8290
Email
Libby Merrill
Reference and Instruction Librarian
libby.merrill@normandale.edu
Note: Your chat question may be directed to a librarian from another college when Normandale librarians are unavailable.
Online Library Access Info
To access databases and other Library resources, login with your StarID and password when prompted. Access is only available to current Normandale students and employees.
To access databases and other Library resources, login with your StarID and password when prompted. Access is only available to current Normandale students and employees.
MLA Quick Guide (PDF)
See MLA citation examples for the most common types of sources (9th edition).
MLA Formatting and Style Guide (OWL at Purdue)
This website offers examples for the general format of MLA research papers, in-text citations, and the Works Cited page. Uses MLA 9th edition.
See MLA citation examples for the most common types of sources (9th edition).
MLA Formatting and Style Guide (OWL at Purdue)
This website offers examples for the general format of MLA research papers, in-text citations, and the Works Cited page. Uses MLA 9th edition.
APA Quick Guide (PDF)
See APA citation examples for the most common types of sources (7th edition).
APA Formatting and Style Guide (OWL at Purdue)
A comprehensive guide to APA formatting and style (7th edition). See examples of APA formats for papers, References lists, in-text citations, footnotes, and more.
See APA citation examples for the most common types of sources (7th edition).
APA Formatting and Style Guide (OWL at Purdue)
A comprehensive guide to APA formatting and style (7th edition). See examples of APA formats for papers, References lists, in-text citations, footnotes, and more.
Book Search
Book Search searches the listing of books and ebooks available at the Normandale Library.
Note: Book Search results include both online ebooks and paper books available for pickup at the library. Follow these instructions to request a paper book (PDF) be held for pickup.