When you encounter any kind of source, consider:
UC Library Search is the University of California’s unified discovery and borrowing system.
Access it directly or from the Library's homepage to find most UC books, articles, media, archival collections, and more.
You can also:
See the UC Library Search user guide and ask for research help 24/7 for more information.
Choose a topic.
Do a brain dump: Note down what you already know about your topic, including
Fill in the gaps in your knowledge: get background information from encyclopedias or other secondary sources. Wikipedia can be good here.
Select the best places/ databases to find information on your topic. Use UC Library Search to find books, articles, etc., or look under the Specialized Databases tab of this guide for more suggestions.
Use nouns from your brain dump as search terms.
Evaluate what you find. Change search terms to get closer to what you really want.
Refine Your Topic - Using the information you have gathered, determine if your research topic should be narrower or broader. You may need to search basic resources again using your new, focused topics and keywords.
Want to learn more about doing research at UCB? Check out our Research 101 Guide or attend a workshop!