The Information Navigator

A self-help guide to quality information

How do I get started?	•	Selecting a topic
	•	Finding background information
	•	Finding facts
	•	Refining your topic

I'm looking for information on my topic. How do I find...	•	Articles
	•	Books
	•	Web pages
	•	Other types of information
	•	Going beyond Google

How do I know what databases to use for my topic?	•	Choosing the best database

How do I search databases?	•	Keyword vs. subject searching
	•	Boolean operators
	•	Truncation and wildcards
	•	Phrases
	•	Fields
	•	Stop words

How do I find books and journals?	•	Barton, the MIT Libraries Catalog
	•	I've found my item in Barton, the MIT Libraries catalog. What now?
	•	Locating Items in the MIT Libraries
	•	I didn't find what I need in Barton. What do I do?

How do I know if the information I find is reliable?	•	Evaluating your information

Now that I found information, what do I do?	•	Writing your paper
	•	Citing your sources
	•	Avoiding plagiarism

Help! My paper is due tomorrow!	•	Last minute strategies

I still need help.....	•	Getting help

This page was last updated on 02/06/08

How do I get started?