Indigenous Studies: Introduction

This page provides links to resources to help new users find materials in Laurier Library, including video tutorials, links to other relevant subject guides, and a list of subject-specific databases. Any available related course guides will appear at the bottom of the page.

Powwow on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation at the National Indigenous Cultural Expo 2018, Edmonton.

Beginning Your Research

Start researching as soon as you get your assignment. Some resources that you may want to use might not be easy to access; some materials may be kept in off-site storage or need to come from another organization entirely. Give yourself as much time as possible to find these materials by starting right away.

Get a basic understanding of your topic. Use the Start Here list of databases to gather basic information about your topic to help you plan your research strategy. You can also search the library's encyclopedias and reference books, newspaper collections, or use the internet to help get a feel for your topic. It's okay to use online non-scholarly resources to help you get familiar with your topic, but you cannot cite them as scholarly sources in your work. Use this information to learn who the experts in the field are, to spot trends and gaps in works about your topic, and to generate a list of keywords and subject headings to help you in your main search.

When you search online, remember to test any website you visit for currency, relevance, authority, accuracy and purpose.

Watch these short videos for help with the research process: Developing a Research Question, Creating a Search Strategy

Recommended Reading

Developing Information Literacy Skills: A Guide to Finding, Evaluating, and Citing Sources by Janine Carlock

Scholarly Resources

Depending on your topic, you may need to search broadly using Omni, Laurier Library's academic research tool, and our interdisciplinary databases. Omni captures a lot of information, but it's not infallible; you should always visit appropriate databases and search them directly as well. Look below for a list of relevant databases, or visit the full list of available databases.

Follow this link to learn about evaluating resources.

Click here for quick videos about evaluating resources.

Click here for a guide to reading strategies for scholarly materials.

See All Tutorials

Getting Started with Omni, Laurier Library's Academic Research Tool

5 Minute Video, Omni Help Page

If you want personalized help, contact your Subject Librarian.

Other helpful subject guides:

Data & Statistics, Human Rights, Law & Society

Canadian Studies, North American Studies

Social & Environmental Justice

See All Subject Guides