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ESL 1A: Critical Reading and Analytical Writing

Learn about Brandeis Library and master your research papers!

Research Tips

Books often provide an overview of a topic and allow you to gain knowledge about the bigger picture before moving on to the more specific information that you'll find in journal articles.

When you don't have a particular title in mind, try searching for some keywords about your research topic. Once you've found some relevant books, look at the subject headings for those books. You can use these subject headings to find similar books.

Finding Books at Brandeis

OneSearch is a database of nearly everything Brandeis Library owns (books, e-books, journals, magazines, DVDs, and other publications and media).

Image of OneSearch search bar, with the drop-down menu open, and Library Catalog selected

In the drop-down menu next to the search bar, select "Library Catalog" in order to see if a book is available and where to find it.

Finding Books from Other Libraries

WorldCat Logo

If Brandeis does not a book on your topic, you can use WorldCat to search for books from other libraries and then request these books through Interlibrary Loan.

Search WorldCat and use the "Request Item through Interlibrary Loan" button to place a request.

For detailed instructions on requesting books from other libraries, visit the Interlibrary Loan page of the library website.