Economics and Finance Research

Books in the library are arranged on the shelf according to the Library of Congress Classification System. Each book has been assigned a call number based on the topic covered in that book. The letter(s) at the start of a call number denote the topic covered in a book. For example, the call number E175.8 refers to a book about U.S. History and American Government.

The chart below presents the broad categories used in the Library of Congress Classification System.

ACRL defines Information literacy as a set of abilities requiring individuals to "recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information." 

Information literacy also is increasingly important due to the escalating complexity of this environment, diverse population, abundant information choices--in academic studies, in the workplace, and in their personal lives. Information is available through multiple media which poses new challenges for individuals in evaluating and understanding it. 

Information literacy forms the basis for lifelong learning that is common to all disciplines, learning environments, and levels of education. It enables learners to assume greater control over their own learning.

How to Do Effective Library Research

Choose or Identify a Topic  An idea for a topic should always be discussed with your instructor.A topic can be viewed much like the scientific method in which a new perspective is developed or knowledge is added. This is generally considered to include 1) definition of a problem to be investigated, 2) collection of initial data, 3) use of data to form a theory or hypothesis explaining the problem 4) further collection of data to verify or modify the hypothesis through observation or experiment, 5) testing the data, and 6) interpreting the results to determine how it relates to the initial problem.

Citing Sources of Information.  The library owns several style manuals to help you properly cite sources of information. The instructor should recommend a format for your research paper.  For online documentation, click on Citation Machine to make it easy to cite information sources and properly credit the information researchers use from different formats.