{"id":23,"date":"2026-02-20T00:18:49","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T00:18:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/libraryresources.nse.org.ng\/researchessentialsengineering\/chapter\/finding-information-for-assessments-and-research\/"},"modified":"2026-03-16T14:10:21","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T14:10:21","slug":"finding-information-for-assessments-and-research","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/libraryresources.nse.org.ng\/researchessentialsengineering\/chapter\/finding-information-for-assessments-and-research\/","title":{"raw":"Finding Information for Assessments and Research","rendered":"Finding Information for Assessments and Research"},"content":{"raw":"

How to begin<\/h2>\n

Understand your topic<\/h3>\nBefore you start your research it is useful to spend\u00a0a bit of time on analyzing\u00a0your topic.\n\nThis involves:\n
    \n \t
  1. Reading the question carefully to understand what the task requires.<\/li>\n \t
  2. Summarising the topic question in your own words<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nDoing some background reading on your topic to familiarise yourself with the subject. Suitable resources for background reading include lecture notes, textbooks, encyclopedias and specialist dictionaries. Check out the Engineering subject guides\u00a0<\/a>for links to useful reference\u00a0books. Wikipedia can be a starting point as well but\u00a0do not include\u00a0<\/strong>Wikipedia sources in your reference list.\n

    Identifying keywords<\/h3>\nTo conduct an effective search for information you must first\u00a0identify keywords<\/strong>\u00a0that will find the information you need.\n
      \n \t
    1. Brainstorm your topic<\/li>\n \t
    2. Create a list or word-cloud of the main subject words\u00a0associated with your topic<\/li>\n \t
    3. Include additional keywords that express\u00a0similar ideas or spelling variations (synonyms)<\/li>\n \t
    4. Focus - choose specific terms rather than general concepts<\/li>\n \t
    5. Use\u00a0formal \/ industry vocabulary rather than everyday language.\u00a0Your background reading will help you identify appropriate terminology.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nMore about\u00a0Planning your search<\/a>\n

      Searching with Library Search<\/h3>\nThis video shows\u00a0how to use Library Search to find information\n\nUsing Library search (YouTube, 2m 47s)<\/a>\n

      Where to your\u00a0start reading<\/h3>\nUse Library Search\u00a0<\/strong>to find a book on your topic\n
        \n \t
      1. Watch the\u00a0Using Library Search <\/strong>video on this page then go to the\u00a0Library website\u00a0<\/a>to find a book<\/li>\n \t
      2. Enter two or three keywords in the Library Search box.\u00a0Use the main subject word(s) and a second or third keyword\u00a0to provide context,\u00a0 eg. bridge construction bamboo.\u00a0 There is no need for\u00a0a\u00a0sentence, question or punctuation<\/li>\n \t
      3. Repeat the search if necessary using different keywords<\/li>\n \t
      4. Select a relevant book\u00a0for background reading<\/li>\n \t
      5. If the book is in print, check the location and borrow it.\u00a0 If it is electronic, read it online<\/li>\n \t
      6. As you read take note of useful terminology which could be used as keywords in later searches.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nExample<\/strong>:\n\nYou want\u00a0information about materials used in bridge building.\u00a0 If you enter the term\u00a0\"bridge building<\/strong>\" as your search it will be too general to find useful results.\u00a0 You need to add an additional keyword or two to provide focus.\u00a0 You might, for example, want to consider a particular type of material , e.g. bamboo.\u00a0 Your search would now look like this: \"bridge construction\" AND bamboo\u00a0<\/strong>\n

        Finding information for assessments and research<\/h2>\nInformation for academic assignments must come from\u00a0appropriate sources.<\/strong>\nThese include:\n