Part of the challenge of finding resources is knowing where you should be looking. And to know where to look, you need to consider what type of information would be the most helpful!
There's a lot of ways you can define different information types but I really like the framework BEAM that was developed by Joseph Bizup. BEAM is four categories of information and stands for Background, Evidence, Argument, and Method. I've outlined what each one means below and included a selection of databases from the UVA Library collection that fit into each category. It's not exhaustive but it should get you started.
And if you'd like to read more about BEAM, here's a link to Joseph Bizup's article "BEAM: Rhetorical Vocabulary for Teaching Research-Based Writing" from Rhetorical Review (2008).
You may need general information about a topic for a variety of reasons - you're starting your research, you need to know more about a topic that you don't know a whole lot about right now, or you could be looking for sources to use to lay out the basics for your reader.
Below are a variety of resources that the library offers that could help you get started with background information.
Over 140,000 recent e-books from university presses and other scholarly publishers. Individual titles are listed in Virgo.
Includes Every Voice: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion collection.
Time-limited full text downloads*
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*Some titles cannot be downloaded. Full text downloads require Adobe Digital Editions. See ProQuest's article How to download a book for offline reading for more information.
Most titles are unlimited multi-user access, but some are limited to single user or 3-users. To determine a book's status, once on Ebook Central, look under Availability for “Your institution has unlimited access to this book” or “Your institution has access to 1 copy (or 3 copies) of this book.”
A large collection of basic information on many subjects drawn from reference books published by Oxford University Press.
Downloading not available
Oftentimes in your research, you want to go to the source and find specific cases or examples of your topic.They're unique because they offer a viewpoint of a specific time period or point in time. Most importantly, these materials don't include evaluation or interpretation.
These are a variety of materials that include:
These types of information are where you get into what scholars and experts in the field are concerned about and actively discussing. Don't be surprised if you find far more than you'd expect! Scholars are interested in everything so you'll find articles on topics from health care to Beyonce to social robots to comic books.
This is the point where you'll have to consider which discipline of scholars would be interested in answering the questions you have, and look in those related databases. Below is a link to the Subject Guides, and a few general databases to get you started!
Large general database of articles from scholarly journals, magazines, and newspapers on many topics. Also includes reference books (World Almanac, American Heritage Dictionary), biographies, speeches, images, and other primary source documents.
Chapter/content section downloads
The EBSCO Mobile app for iOS and Android lets users search Academic Search Complete and view or listen to chapters/content sections.
Resources for the method will introduce you to ways of analyzing your topic and your overall research. For these resources, you can often look at similar studies or research that is on the same topic that you're interested in to see how other scholars structured their work. Your STS professor is also going to be a great resource for this type of information.
Sage Research Methods is a methods library with more than 1000 books, reference works, journal articles, and instructional videos by world-leading academics from across the social sciences, including the largest collection of qualitative methods books available online from any scholarly publisher.
Chapter/content section downloads*
*Use the horizontal scroll bar to find the "PDF" button after "Embed"
Routledge Handbooks Online brings together leading scholars to provide a cutting-edge overview of classic and current research and future trends in the Social Sciences and Humanities, while at the same time providing an authoritative guide to theory and method, the key sub-disciplines, and the primary debates of today. The Library only subscribes to the Education titles
Full text downloads
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