Research Essentials



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I believe one of the most important things we can teach ourselves is how to study and learn. It is not possible to know everything. When I first started working for AT&T I felt overwhelmed by all of the information and various systems that I had to use.  After a while I realized that even the best employees and supervisors didn't know ALL of the information. However, the best did know how to find what they needed to know. They knew where to look or who to call. I find that the same theory applies to my college studies.

You have to teach yourself how to learn, study and do research. My lessons this week helped me refresh my skills on doing research online and in a library. It also really helped to go back over basic skills, like the steps in the research process....

The Research Process: A list of ten steps

• STEP 1: Formulate your question
• STEP 2: Get background information
• STEP 3: Refine your search topic
• STEP 4: Consider your resource options
• STEP 5: Select the appropriate tool
• STEP 6: Use the tool
• STEP 7: Locate your materials
• STEP 8: Analyze your materials
• STEP 9: Organize and write
• STEP 10: Compose your bibliography

Or, how to find information in Galileo.......



The Databases

Where the good stuff is...

GALILEO has a searchable databases section.
The Databases section allows you to search:

• Magazines
• Newspapers
• Scholarly journals
• Book chapters
• Conference papers
• Book reviews
• TV and radio transcripts
• Encyclopedias
• Business directories
• Government publications...

...and more from major information providers and publishers.


I learned how to find what I need when I need it, and the easiest way possible to do so. All of the information was helpful, from how to find your way around the library, to how to find your way around the internet.

I also learned about GIL, which I didn't know anything about. 

What is GIL?

A library catalog

GIL stands for GALILEO Interconnected Libraries. The catalogs of the University System of Georgia libraries are called GIL. Each library has its own GIL catalog.
The catalog of a library is where you find out what books, periodicals, government documents, audio-visual materials, maps, and other materials are in that library. Unlike GALILEO, which identifies articles that exist, but may not be available locally, GIL identifies the materials in a particular library.
Coming soon is a "Union Catalog" where you can search multiple libraries at the same time. This will allow you to quickly determine which libraries own an item for which you are searching.

I will definitely be able to apply all of this information to my school studies and work studies.

"Educated people are not those who know everything, but rather those who know where to find, at a moment’s notice, the information they desire."

The Expositor and Current Anecdotes