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Visit Ask a Librarian or the Libraries homepage to schedule a research consultation.
Librarians can provide research assistance with:
Research Help (45 minutes)
Citation Help (45 minutes)
Research Consultation Formats
Research Consultations can be held via phone, email, in person at Drinko Library, or virtually using Microsoft Teams; but some formats have limitations.
The most productive research consultations allow for a free flow of information, and the ability for you to see the librarian and research process in action.
We recommend in-person or virtual consultations for the best experience. (If no available appointment times are available, please visit a librarian at the Research Desk on the 1st floor of Drinko Library, Monday - Friday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.). Schedule an appointment here: https://marshall.libcal.com/appointments/virtual-research#s-lc-public-pt
How to Prepare for Your Research Consultation
Research Help
Research Help Consultations work best when you...
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Have an assignment - Research consultations work best when you are actively working on an assignment. Assignment guidelines let us know what kind of sources you need. You can try to find these sources yourself if you...
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Do some preliminary research - Trying out the tools on the library website before you meet with a research librarian can give you an idea of what you need help with. Not finding many results? Maybe we need to adjust your keywords or look in specialized databases. It's okay if you wait until you meet with a librarian before you start researching. While these tools are very user-friendly, there is a learning curve, but try to...
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Have a topic in mind - If you have already chosen a topic, we can show you how to use library tools such as Summon and individual databases to find the resources that you need. We can also help you discover the best keywords to maximize your search results and narrow and expand your results where necessary.
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But if you don't have a topic in mind - That's okay too! We can help you brainstorm appropriate topics for your assignment. Just bring an assignment sheet or syllabus that contains the assignment guidelines.
Citation Help
Citation Help Consultations work best when you...
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Have completed your research project - If you have completed your research paper or project, we can double-check that your in-text citations and References or Work Cited pages are correct and help you correct any issues. But if your...
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Research is a work in progress - We can still assist you with citing your sources, but you may need to schedule another appointment when your research is complete, and you have new or lingering concerns.
Remember that revisits are always welcome!
The Writing Center
Research Consultations and Writing Center appointments are very different services that typically take place at different points in the lifecycle of your assignment. If you need help when writing your paper, schedule an appointment with The Writing Center. https://www.marshall.edu/writingcenter/
