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Research Guides

Introduction to Technical Writing: Finding and Assessing Information

Where should I look for information on my topic?

Library research databases contain information from published works such as magazines, professional journals, newspaper articles, encyclopedias, and reference books. They are well organized and categorize the literature by subject area/topic. You will easily find the author, magazine title, date, etc. of every article in a research database. 

Find a list of best STEM databases here, and all Libraries databases here.

Library research databases often contain full-text articles that can be printed, saved, or emailed. Different databases focus on different subjects, so you might find something in one database that you did not find in another.

Searching using a search engine, such as Google, may lead you to believe that you are finding a lot of information quickly, but be aware that there is often a trade-off between speed and accuracy. Many of those Google results may not be accurate, useful, or credible, so keep these issues in mind when choosing between library databases and websites that are freely available on the internet.

Google Scholar is another option. Sources found via Scholar with be scholarly, but not necessarily available in full text. Learn how to link Google Scholar to the UW Libraries Search.

Library Research Databases

Websites
  • Get their information from professionals or experts in the field
  • Contain published works where facts are checked
  • Are easy to cite in a bibliography and most create the citation for you
  • Can help you narrow your topic or suggest related subjects
  • Are updated frequently and include the date of publication
  • Can be written by anyone regardless of expertise
  • Website content is not necessarily checked by an expert
  • Often don’t provide the information necessary to create a complete citation
  • Often aren’t organized to support student research needs
  • May not indicate when the information was updated

 

Tips for Finding the Information You Need

  • Spend some time thinking about keywords you can use to search with that describe your topic.
  • Try concept mapping to help determine keyword lists, and organize your topic.
  • Learn how different search engines or databases work. Try more than one, as you will likely get different results.
  • Always verify the information you find with another source to make sure it is accurate.
     

How do I Assess the Information I Found?

Understand the information you've found