HES 3810 / BIO 3530 Physiology of Aging   Tags: bio3530, gerontology, health_professions, hes3810, linda_white, medicine, nursing  

Research is non-linear process.  Keep an open mind and explore.

Tips:

• Have a well defined reseach question.
• Identify a number of different databases to search.
• Identify keywords and subject terms that are linked in the best articles.
• Find the major authors and journals in your topic area.

Ask for help at any time!

Refining your research question to one that is well-focused and specific is the key to reducing frustration and stress. 

• The Auraria Library offers great resources for finding and researching your topic.
• You can search for subject encyclopedias and browse the current periodicals area to see what other researchers are doing.
• You can also search databases such as PubMed to identify recent medical research in conditions associated with stress.

Tip: In the discussion section of many research articles, the author proposes further areas of inquiry.

Tip: When you're searching topics in PubMed and find a promising article, try clicking the "related articles" link to the right of the citation.

Reference books such as specialized encyclopedias and dictionaries are great for finding what you need to support your thesis or to collect background material for your research. You can search our catalog from the Library homepage using your term combined with terms like "encyclopedias" or "handbooks" to pull up reference works (example: aging and encyclopedias). This also applies to "dictionaries" and "video".

• Encyclopedia of aging, in the Library at REF HQ1061 .E534 2002
• Encyclopedia of gerontology : age, aging, and the aged, in Reference at the Library at REF RC952.5 .E58 2007
• Old age in myth and symbol : a cultural dictionary, in the Library at PN56.O4 M34 1991  

To find books or articles available through the Library, you might try a subject search (on the Library homepage) for your research topic (enter, su: stress aging). 

Tip: Many off-topic resources appear if you enter "su: aging" . If you type "su: aging physiolog* ", you will find more relevant material. You can further narrow the search using the refinements listed on the left side of the results screen. Try limiting to more current publications or choose a different narrower topic (e.g., "geriatric cardiology ").

Tip: Knowing the vocabulary of the subject you are researching in very helpful.  Scanning the index or table of contents of your textbook for unfamiliar words or reading an encyclopedia article about aging or gerontology can give you options when you do a search in any database.

Navigating Library Research is a not-for-credit course offered by the Auraria Library. Completing one or more units of Navigating Library Research is a great way to build up your research skills.  You're welcome to work through the course on your own.  Please contact the Library if you need assistance or suggestions.