Research Experience for Undergradutes

Learn how to find and evaluate sources and how to read, write, and present on scientific topics

Finding trustworthy resources

trustworthy sources comic

 

Finding reputable sources can be difficult. For academic and scientific research papers it's best to stick to peer-reviewed databases like Library Quick Search, UTSA Libraries databases, and Google Scholar.

 

 

Racheli Rottner/Wikimedia Israel, via Wikimedia Commons

For more information about using Google Scholar, including when to use Google Scholar, see our Google Scholar guide below.

Tips for Searching

Use these operators to perform more powerful searches

AND – combine terms, e.g. memory AND sleep

OR – include synonym terms, e .g. (coke OR soda OR pop OR "soft drinks") AND sleep

NOT – exclude terms, e.g. sleep NOT apnea

* (or ?) – wildcard, e.g. medic*

“[quotes]” – phrase search, e.g. “civil rights”

Boolean operator Venn diagram