In this guide
Choose the right search path, keep a small evidence trail, and arrive at a librarian conversation with a useful question.
Decide which kind of search you are doing
Before typing into a search box, decide whether you need a particular work or evidence about a subject. A known-item search begins with something identifiable: a title from a syllabus, an author, a journal citation, or a book edition. A topic search begins with uncertainty. Treating them alike can produce pages of plausible results without answering the actual need.
Boston College Libraries provides routes to books, articles, journals, databases, research guides, and research help from its official homepage. These are different starting points rather than a ladder you must climb in order. The following method helps you choose among them. It does not imply that every result is available immediately or that Campus Taskbook can access your library account.
For a known item, match the identifying details
Write down what you already know before searching: title, author, publication year, journal name, volume, issue, pages, or edition. You may not have every field. Search the most distinctive title words, then compare the result against the citation. A review of a book is not the book; a newer edition may have different pagination from the assigned edition.
When the result looks right, inspect the record’s access information rather than assuming that finding a citation means finding full text. Follow the library’s own access links and instructions. If the route is unclear, save the citation and describe the obstacle to library staff. Avoid paying elsewhere simply because the first search produced a publisher’s purchase button.
For a topic, build a question you can test
Turn a broad interest into a relationship you want to understand. Identify a population, place, time range, or type of evidence that would make the investigation manageable. List a few alternative words for the main concepts. Early searches are reconnaissance: their job is to reveal useful vocabulary, disagreements, and boundaries, not to prove the conclusion you already prefer.
Use the library’s research guides and database links to identify an appropriate disciplinary starting point. A catalog can help locate books and broader treatments; a subject database may help locate more focused scholarship. Try one change at a time when revising a search so you can tell whether a narrower date range or different phrase actually improved the results.
Hypothetical example: a question about commuting
Imagine an assignment asking how transportation affects participation in campus activities. A first search for student life would be too broad. A more usable question might ask how commuting time shapes participation among university students. Try combinations of commuting, travel time, campus involvement, and participation. This is an original hypothetical topic, not a claim about Boston College students.
After reading several abstracts, you might discover that studies distinguish paid employment from travel time. That finding should change the next search and perhaps the question itself. Keep a brief log: search location, terms, useful citation, and why it matters. Record limitations too, such as a study drawn from a different country or a single institution.
Ask for help with an evidence trail
An effective librarian question contains the assignment’s purpose, your working question, two searches you tried, and the specific gap. For example, you may have enough background books but need help finding recent empirical studies. BC’s library homepage offers chat and appointment routes, including subject-librarian consultations. Check those official links for current availability and the appropriate contact.
End a research session with a next action rather than an unsorted pile of tabs. Save complete citations, distinguish notes from quotations, and record page numbers when available. Evaluate each source against the assignment’s requirements and its actual evidence. The university links identify research services; the search strategy and example here are independent editorial guidance, not an assessment of your assignment.
Read next: When a course task belongs in Canvas, or Read a course listing like a weekly plan.