MSU Libraries is here to help.
See a guide to using the library for teaching, classwork, and research during the coronavirus outbreak: https://guides.library.msstate.edu/coronavirus
Search, Find, Write
How to Write a PaperFind Sources
With a well-refined idea and a clear plan for your research, you can begin searching for the sources you'll need. Through MSU Libraries, you have access to a world of information--if you need something we don't have in-house, we'll try to get it for you from another library!
Books
Journal Articles
Databases by Subject
Find your subject and a list of related databases to search for academic/peer-reviewed articles, trade articles and magazines.
Popular Databases:
- General Studies: Academic Search Complete, JSTOR
- Business and Economics: Business Source Complete
- Education: ERIC
- Literary Criticism: MLA
- Psychology: PsycInfo
- Science, Engineering, Social Sciences: Scopus
Newspapers
Dissertations and Theses
Primary Sources
Primary sources are published and unpublished materials that provide firsthand evidence of historical events. They may include books, audiovisual materials, maps, letters, diaries, photographs, oral histories, newspapers, or posters.
Primary sources are usually found in a library's Special Collections department.
Find primary sources:
- Online Catalog
- Special Collections
- Includes Genealogy and Local History, Manuscripts, Mississippiana, Rare Books, and University Archives
- Digital Collections
- Congressional and Political Research Center
- Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library
- WorldCat
- National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (Library of Congress)
Government Documents
Government documents include any printed or processed book, paper, periodical, pamphlet, map, microform, or electronic product prepared and published at public expense by the United States Congress or by any of the Executive Departments, independent agencies, or judicial bodies of the U.S. Government. They are not copyrighted and may be reproduced freely.
Find government documents:
- United States Government:
- Online Catalog (for documents published in or after 1997)
- Ask a Librarian (for help finding older documents)
- United Nations:
- Mississippi Government:
We can help at every step!
Ask A Librarian
Chat, email, tweet, or text us your questions, and see frequently asked questions.
Call or Visit the Reference Desk
Call (662) 325-7667 or visit the Reference Desk on the second floor of Mitchell Memorial Library.
Hours
Location
Research Consultations
Meet with a librarian to talk about library resources and search strategies.
Research Guides
Get research tips and lists of resources for a variety of subjects.
Citation Guides
Cite sources in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles.
Tutorials
Watch tutorial videos on research strategies, database searching, and software tools.
Workshops
Take a class on research, scholarship, academic integrity, or software.
Search, Find, Write
Find sources for your paper in our collections.
EndNote Resources
Store, organize, and format citations, images and graphics with EndNote.
Mendeley
Use Mendeley to create a personal database of references that can be inserted into documents created with Word.
Zotero
Zotero, a free cloud-based citation manager, automatically senses and imports content in your web browser and allows you to add it to your personal library, all within a single click! Zotero also has a Word plug-in to cite-while-you-write.
MSU Writing Center
Get writing help in person or online. Tutors are available in Mitchell Memorial Library during Fall and Spring semesters, Sunday - Thursday, 6pm - 9pm.
Maroon & Write
MSU's writing quality enhancement plan seeks to improve undergraduate student writing by implementing a writing across the curriculum model, using writing-to-learn strategies and formal writing instruction.
Books on Academic Writing
This list of books can help you to write a successful research paper.
