Research Help in the Summer

Need help with research? Visit us at the Circulation/Research Services desk (1st floor Dome) for some in-person assistance. Or take a look at our Research Guides and select the subject you want to research from the list. We have them organized by course, college or discipline, topic, and resource. These guides list important scholarly resources for you to use to find scholarly, and peer reviewed information on a particular subject. 

Choose the Right Database

• Select the right database for your topic. You have access to hundreds of article databases on many subjects.  Go to the A-Z list of research guides and select the subject you need. On each research guide there is an “articles” tab. Click on this tab to get a list of the most helpful databases on your subject available through the SDSU Library.

Contact Research Librarians with Subject Expertise

• You can contact research librarians for a subject using the contact information on any of the research guides. Use the Main tab to get the librarian’s contact information. These librarians are here to help you with your projects in the subject area for which their name is listed. Don't hesitate to contact them if you have questions. As always, you can come by the Circulation/Research Services desk to ask general questions about using resources and conducting research for your papers or projects, or log onto the online chat.

Get Tips about Common Research Questions for Your Subject

• Researchers in particular subject areas often come up with the same research questions that can be easily answered by a librarian. For this reason, most subject librarians offer tips that give step by step instructions on how to find the information you need and can jump start your research in certain subject. Don’t forget to look at the tips.

Find Citation Help, Primary Sources, Newspapers, or Other Types of Information Not Specific to a Subject

• You can also use the research guides to find information by source. Need help with citing your sources? Need to find a primary resource, newspaper, or streaming media? We have created individual research guides on these specific information sources and many more to help you with your research.

Summer Readers Resources

Looking for some pleasure reading over the summer break? Check out some of the resources in this post to help you find books for summer reading programs or for relaxing anywhere.

• San Diego Public Library's Summer Reading Program Open to all ages.
• San Diego County Library
• What Should I Read Next This website allows you to type in the title or the author of a book that you read and enjoyed to find other books recommendations similar to that title or author.  If you find an interesting title, check out OneSearch to find and borrow the book.
• Goodreads This online social community allows you to create virtual bookshelves that help you track what you read, write reviews and get recommendations based on your reading interests. You can explore the thousands of lists of recommendations created by users based on everything from genre, to most anticipated releases, to book covers.

Questions? Email us at eref@sdsu.edu