Library Guides: Graduate Student Services: Research & Theses Support

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Articles & Research Databases.

An alphabetical listing of all MSU Library databases. Search for peer-reviewed articles, popular articles, streaming video, and other resources by subject and format.

Index of Articles & Research Databases

ScholarWorks

ScholarWorks

ScholarWorks is an open access institutional repository for the capture of the intellectual work of Montana State University. ScholarWorks is a central point of discovery for accessing, collecting, sharing, preserving, and distributing knowledge to the MSU community and the world. Read more about ScholarWorks and other service available from the library's Publication Services.

Authors may send articles, CVs, or questions to Leila Sterman, so that we may assess the copyright of papers for submission into ScholarWorks.

ScholarWorks (MSU Electronic Theses & Dissertations)
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Open Access research published by Montana State University faculty and students including theses & dissertations and journal articles

Library Research Tutorials

MSU Library is proud to offer the following tutorials to help students begin the research process. Each tutorial will guide you through a step in the research process from deciding on a topic to reading scholarly research articles.

Individual pieces (tutorials, videos, etc.) can be embedded directly into Brightspace or watched within the database itself.

Information Literacy – Core
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Tutorials on library research, information literacy, and critical thinking skills

Identifying Keywords
Identifying keywords to use when searching the library databases will save you time and frustration in the long run. This tutorial will show you how to identify the main concepts of your research and turn them into searchable keywords.
Refining Your Research Topic
This short overview of topic selection will walk you through how to choose a topic for a research assignment, how to expand your topic if you aren't finding enough information, and how to narrow your topic if you're finding too much information.
Searching the Databases 101
Unlike Google, the library databases do not provide the best results when an entire research question is entered into the search box. Because of this, it can often feel overwhelming when beginning your research. This tutorial will show you the best way to get started in the databases and give you some tips on how to avoid frustration when searching.
Spotting Fake News
Have you been wondering what fake news is or how it impacts your life? Are you unsure of how to spot fake news or articles designed to sway your opinions?
This module will walk you through different types of fake and misleading news stories and give you tips on how to evaluate these stories for accuracy, integrity, and truthfulness.
Understanding Scholarly Research, Pt. 1
Identifying and locating scholarly articles can seem intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be! This tutorial will go over tips to make identifying and finding articles more manageable and show you how to identify different types of scholarly research, what the different parts of a scholarly article are, and how to find these articles in the library databases.
Understanding Scholarly Research, Pt. 2
Sometimes reading a scholarly article can feel like a lost cause.This module covers the different parts of a scholarly article and ways to read each part quickly and efficiently. Then, it shows a few ways to keep track of what you learn so you can use that information in your research assignment.

Sage Research Methods

Sage Research Methods
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Material to guide users through every step of the research process

Steps to Writing a Lit Review

Literature Review Guide
General information on how to organize and write a literature review.