• Get an initial overview of the topic, for example in encyclopaedias, reference works and subject-related handbooks
• Think about search terms
• Search synonyms, related terms and translations
• Find generic and subordinate terms
• Narrow down your topic from the general to the specific

We recommend that you create a mind map or a search term list that you can use as a basis for your research.

• Search for local literature in the RUB Primo catalogue and other library catalogues
• Search for current journal articles in subject databases
• Search in academic search engines, like Google Scholar oder BASE
• Search for institutions that specialize in your topic

• Use the help pages of the search tools
• Use the simple search for a quick initial search
• Use the advanced search for a more precise search
• Use the filter options of the search tools
• Use
  • truncation (* often replaces any number of characters)
  • Phrase search (set term in "...")
  • Boolean operators:
    AND: all terms are included
    OR: one or both terms are included
    NOT: the term linked with NOT is not included
• Develop a search strategy
  In your search term list, mark the search terms with which you have found good results and delete useless terms. Use keywords from the document descriptions of titles already found or determine keywords via the keyword registers or thesauri (controlled vocabulary) of the databases
• Document your search steps
  At the end of your research, you will have a bibliography in your hands that tells you WHEN, WHERE and HOW it was compiled.

Search methods:

„Quick & Dirty“-Search

• Short research without preparation and special strategy
• Gives useful search results, is therefore very popular and is used most frequently
• But: There are often too many results with many irrelevant titles
• important titles may be ignored

Snowball research

• The titles already found are reviewed and the cited literature will be checked.
• Quick recognition of important works (frequently cited) is possible
• only older literature will be found

Systematic research

• Think about search terms and link them appropriately; use these search queries for each research source
• Relevant literature (older and current literature) will be found
• You will receive a comprehensive overview of the literature on the topic

• View and evaluate the literature found
• Refine or extend your search
• Change the database if the search result is insufficient
• Check the quality of the literature found

Recommendation: To assess the quality and credibility of your sources, use the CRAP test: The CRAP test is a helpful tool for deciding whether a website is a credible, valid source. The CRAP test checks four main areas: Currency, Reliability, Authority and Purpose.

You can find printed and electronic media via the RUB Primo catalogue.

• Borrowing / online access
  Please note the borrowing conditions for printed media and the terms of use for electronic offers.
  Tip: RUB members can access the electronic services of Ruhr University from anywhere via a VPN connection.
• Scan
  Free scanners are available in the staircase of the University Library.
  Note: Please observe copyright law. Each reader is responsible for compliance with copyright regulations.
• Interlibrary loan
  Books and journal articles that are not available at the RUB or in other libraries in Bochum (see Bochum Catalogue) can usually be ordered (for a fee) via interlibrary loan.

Reference management programmesembed footnotes and citations quickly and easily into your own text in the correct format

• support you in collecting, organizing, structuring and citing literature sources
• generate bibliographies at the push of a button
• embed footnotes and citations quickly and easily into your own text in the correct format

The RUB has campus licenses for Citavi and Endnote Online.

We offer courses for Citavi, Endnote Online, Endnote Desktop, LaTeX/BibTeX, Zotero und Mendeley.