It might seem obvious, but the first step is to make sure you understand the topic. Identify the main concepts or keywords in your question to help you develop a search strategy.

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• Define your topic and develop a search strategy

Use dictionaries and encyclopaedias to find definitions and background information. Articles from specialized subject encyclopaedias are authoritative and often substantial.

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• reference resources for Forestry

• How much information do you need? Lecturers often give guidelines on the number of sources you should use.
• Do you need current information or is older material relevant? Sometimes you might need both, as you might have to give both the historic background and the current situation of a topic.
• Do you need primary sources that give an original account of research, or secondary sources that are interpretations of someone else's work?

If you don't understand what you have to do for an assignment, ask your lecturer, your tutor or someone at the Learning Skills Centre.

The catalogue lists journal titles, but not the titles of the articles inside the journals. To find these you'll need to search the recommended databases for Forestry.

 

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• where to find Forestry journal articles
• tutorial on finding an article

If you can't find the kind of information you want on these databases, ask a subject librarian - we can help you choose the right database and the right keywords to use.

References recommended on reading lists will already have been evaluated for quality. You'll need to evaluate sources that you find yourself. Think critically about the information you find. The quality of your information has an effect on the quality of your assignment.

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• evaluating your sources

See our writing guides page for books which have useful hints for writing on technical subjects.

Visit the Learning Skills Centre for workshops and/or personal help.