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AVI233: Air Transportation: Home

Where to find sources

Source Types

Apex Posters

Subject Guide

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Becky Canovan
she/her
Contact:
Office: L200
Second floor near water fountain
bcanovan@dbq.edu
563-589-3649

Citations

Search Strategies

For aviation topics, the really important step is "Select a Place to Search" because we don't have a database dedicated specifically to aviation. Also, think about filtering results for trade publications or academic journals to get resources focused on the industry side rather than the consumer side of an issue.

 

Image titled Important Search Strategies: A step by step guide. The image is split into 6 categories. Category 1: Create a keyword list. Creating a list of key words and phrases, including synonyms, helps you recognize the many different aspects of your topic and approaches to the question. Category 2 Select a place to search. Pick a library database. Each database differs by type of sources included as well as the subject of the sources they contain. Pick one that fits your topic and source type. Category 3 Filtering your results. Use limiters to narrow. Use date, source type, and other built-in limiters in the databases to narrow your search. Category 4 Use subject headings. Subjects aren't just keywords. Subjects are specific terms and phrases attached to an article describing the content of the article, rather than words just used in titles or the abstract. Category 5 Determine utility. Skim abstracts and table of contents. Read the abstract or table of contents of the source to figure out if and how it might b useful for your project. Category 6 Get the full-text and citation. Download and Save the PDF. Save the PDF if available. If not, request it via FindIt@UD. Most databases allow you to download a citation. Then you can just edit/check it before you use it.