Read the dust jacket and table of contents for a broad overview of the topics covered. 1. Skim the introduction and conclusion for summary material. 2. Use the index to locate more specific topics and see how thoroughly they are covered. 2. Skim through subheadings and text features such as sidebars. 3. Flip through the book and look for subtitles or key terms that correspond to your research. 3. Look for keywords related to your topic. 4. Journal articles often begin with an abstract or summary of the contents. Read it to determine the article’s relevance to your research.

Smart researchers continually ask themselves two questions: “Is this source relevant to my purpose?” and “Is this source reliable?”