It used to be that doing research for a paper or assignment meant only one thing - going to the library and searching "the stacks" for books and journal articles. And this is still the major part of any serious research, but it's no longer the only part!

If you're reading this page, you know that electronic resources are constantly changing the way students conduct research. Until you make full use of electronic resources, you are not done with your research.

In order to find out what's been published in a journal, it is now common to use electronic indexes, usually online. Some of these may even have the full text of selected articles available. And many other kinds of reference works, research tools, and databases are available. Some online resources charge fees, but others are free; check with your school's library to find out which resources they have purchased. It's important not to confuse the large amounts of low-quality "information" available on the Internet with the sort of professionally compiled materials listed here.
Here are some of the most useful:

• UnCover provides citations to the recent contents (starting in 1988) of over 18,000 journals - for free!
• Wordsmyth is a useful online dictionary/thesaurus resource.
• The Merriam-Webster website includes many useful English language resources, including a free online dictionary and thesaurus.
• Britannica Online
• More coming soon!