Mary W. George, The Elements of Library Research: What Every Student Needs to Know. Princeton University Press, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-691-13150-4. 201 pages.
Mary W. George, head of reference and senior reference librarian at Princeton University Library, provides a handy guide on the library research process. The author provides instruction on choosing a topic, creating research questions, developing a research plan, searching the literature, evaluating sources, developing a thesis, and much more. The book is easy to read and the reader recognize that the author has a good grasp on the process on producing some type of research product. She wrote this book because for several years she saw college students struggle with research assignments. She shows how we have information needs all the time and we do research to find answers. She shows how doing academic research is similar to the practical research that we do on a daily basis.
George defines a research project "as any task that requires, or would benefit from factual information or opinions you do not already have" (15). She divides the research process into nine stages: 1. choosing a topic, 2. engaging your imagination, 3. creating research questions pertaining to your topic, 4. developing a research plan, 5. using reference tools and searching databases, 6. retrieving sources, 7. evaluating your sources in relation to your research question, 8. having an insight from reflecting on your sources, 9. creating a thesis from your insight. This last step will lead to creating an outline and developing an argument based on your thesis. When she discusses these different steps she provides detailed information on how to accomplish the task. I will provide some examples.
She give tips on developing a topic. Asks others about possible topics. Read different general sources about possible topics. Browse sources in your course and the library. Examine primary sources.
An important resource that she introduces early and discusses throughout the research process is a research log. On the right side, you can use like a research diary, "making entries with the date and place where I did something related to my research--whether thinking, brainstorming with friends, conferring with my instructor, searching a database, browsing in the library stacks, or any other activity. I write down a phrase about what I did or read" (45). On the left side, she lists ideas, "alternate points of view," the author and title of any interesting book I turn up, call numbers she finds searching in the catalog, new questions she discovers, and so on. She keeps this research log handy and uses it throughout the research process. She finds it to be a handy tool.
The author provides many helpful hints on discovering sources. Browsing the shelves around the titles that you are looking for on the shelves. Using general and subject encyclopedias and looking at the sources they list. Looking at the footnotes or bibliography of books you examine. Examining the bibliography and notes of the articles you examine.
The author provides information on different research tools and different search strategies for searching the databases. The book includes five appendices: 1. good habits, hints, and habits to avoid. 2. Certain nuggets she provides throughout the book. 3. Research timelines. 4. Questions to ask your instructor. 5. Research appointment worksheet.
Mary George in her book, The Elements of Library Research, has provided a handy, easy to follow guide through the research process. The reader can recognize that she has much experience in doing research and guiding others to do research. Any student that picks up this book will make an excellent investment in a guide that will be quite useful for not only a immediate research projects, but future ones too!
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