FIU Libraries: Work Smart Library Workshops: Research Retreat

Research Tools, Resources, & Support

Research Start
Access frequently used tools, subject resources, research support, and other quick links to FIU Libraries resources and support.

Information Literacy Toolkit
The Information & Research Services Department at FIU's Green Library created this website to provide tutorials on navigating the library website, resources for your research journey through searching, evaluating, and citing, and subject-specific guides and databases.

A-Z List of Databases
This is an alphabetical listing of all the resources, such as journal articles, books, videos, photos, and other credible and scholarly sources, available through FIU Libraries. There are also new / trial databases that have been newly acquired or are being evaluated for future subscriptions.

Find a Subject Guide, Resources, or Specialist
Library faculty serve as liaisons to academic programs. A handful of librarians also specialize in specific user populations or research areas. Contact your liaisons to learn more about library resources and to discuss support for your teaching, research, or learning needs. Finding your subject specialist also leads to the guides, databases, and resources, available to your program, class, or major.

Q. How do I use course reserves?
From the library homepage choose the Course Reserves box under "Popular Services"
Q. Why would a student need to use Course Reserves?
A student would need to use Course Reserves when their professor puts course materials aside for members of the class to use. These materials can be the professor's personal copies of articles, books, or other items, or they can be library-owned materials.
Search Course Reserves for Books and Articles

Guide to Articles: Peer Reviewed, Reference, Popular Issues, & Primary Resources
This guide helps you with finding articles of all types using our library catalog.
Primary Sources
It is essential to distinguish between primary and secondary source material. This page provides a brief guide to understanding the differences between these two sources and where to find primary and secondary materials in the library.

🔗 Always Look for the Permalink

Why Use a Permalink?

✅ Stable & Persistent – Browser URLs expire.

✅ Easy Access – Direct return to the resource.

✅ Shareable – Works for peers or professors.

Where to Find Permalinks:

✅ In most databases there is a Permalink icon 🔗.

Pro Tip: Save permalinks in your research tracker log or online citation manager!

Literature Review Research Strategies
This library guide provides an overview and "how to" instructions for doing a literature review.

Finding Journal Rankings and Citation Analysis
Resources to help faculty measure journal, article, and author impact factors.

Citing your sources and Plagiarism
Use this guide to find help and information on citation styles and avoiding plagiarism. Using proper citation style allows us to give credit to the creators of the material we are using. It is how we use information responsibly and respectfully. By using citations, our claims and theories become more authorized and credible because we are providing supporting evidence from other sources. Citations also allow us to be honest about our contributions and avoid plagiarism.

Citation Managers: Zotero & EndNote
This guide was created to help you find the information you need to create citations properly, avoid plagiarism, and use our bibliographic citation software like RefWorks, Zotero, and EndNote.

Zotero vs. EndNote: Choosing a Citation Manager

Zotero	EndNote
Free & open-source	More advanced features
Easy browser integration	Built-in PDF annotation
Best for collaboration	More citation styles
Limited built-in PDF annotation	Steeper learning curve

Which one to use? Up to you...

Zotero: If you want free, easy-to-use, and collaborative tools
EndNote: If you need powerful citation tools & long-term research management, free through Panther Tech.

Explore

Zotero https://library.fiu.edu/citationmanagers/zotero
EndNote https://library.fiu.edu/citationmanagers/endnote

Ask Us @ FIU Libraries
We're here to help! Librarians provide research help to students, faculty, staff, and community members. You can start an online chat or browse our frequently asked questions (FAQs).

Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
The site for Interlibrary Loan (ILL). If you have never used ILL, you must first create an account using info from your FIU credentials.

Device Checkout
A limited number of Dell Laptops and MacBooks are available at FIU Libraries for a loan period of up to four hours. See the Libraries’ respective circulation desks for more information. HP ProBooks, GIS laptops, and wifi hotspots are also available for currently enrolled students for an extended period, up to a full semester. To receive a semester loan device, please visit the Green Library or Hubert Library Monday through Friday from 10 am-6 pm. Remember to bring your FIU OneCard and Valid Identification.

Many of these resources can be used in conjunction with the media available for checkout from the Media Lending program through our Sound & Image Department.

Applying for a Study Carrel
Library carrels for graduate students and PhD candidates are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications are excepted during a 2-week period during a given semester for space in the following semester (example: applications open during the Summer Semester for a Fall Semester study carrel).

There are a limited number of carrels available. Every effort will be made to accommodate your request.

Priority is given to students in this order:

Doctoral Student Writing Dissertation.
Doctoral Student Preparing for Comprehensive Exams.
Master's Student Writing Thesis.
First-Year Doctoral Student.
Master's Student on a Thesis Track.
Other Fully Admitted Graduate Students.

You will be contacted by email whether or not a carrel is available for you. Please contact the Library Administration Office at 305-348-2461 should you have any questions.
Carrel Request Application
Green Library Study Carrel!

Study Rooms

Study Rooms at Green Library
Choose from 13 group study and media editing rooms throughout the second, fifth, sixth, & seventh floors of the Green Library.
Study Rooms at Hubert Library
Choose from 5 group study and media viewing rooms between the second & third floors of the Hubert Library.
Study Rooms at FIU at I-75
Choose from 10 group study rooms at FIU at I-75 (1930 SW 145th Street, Miramar, FL 33027). Rooms are available on the third & fourth floors

Digital Commons Institutional Repository
Digital Commons is a Florida International University Libraries service that provides a centralized access point for the FIU community's scholarship, creative works, and history. Faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to contribute their work. Sharing your completed work in Digital Commons provides immediate access to your research and allows you to provide your scholarship openly while retaining full rights to your work. Contributing authors receive monthly readership reports by email and can track interest in their research through the author dashboard.

FIU Research Data Portal
The FIU Research Data Portal serves as an interdisciplinary data archive that supports accessing and reusing research data produced at FIU.
Data Support Research Guide
This is a comprehensive guide to the data support services available through the library and a calendar of FIU Library and University-sponsored data workshops, classes, and events.

Artificial Intelligence Now: ChatGPT + AI Literacy Toolbox
Find resources on artificial intelligence, ChatGPT, writing with AI assistance, AI academic productivity tools, plagiarism, prompt engineering, GPT misinformation and hallucinations, AI image tools, AI literacy, and discussions related to AI ethics. Check AI policy for your department, college, or course.

Connecting Google Scholar To FIU Libraries
Sometimes, Google is a good place to start your research, but a lot of the information you will find will not be credible or scholarly. Academic writing requires more rigorous research than you can achieve on the open web. To see the best intellectual resources available on the web, use Google Scholar. You can even connect it to the FIU Libraries to access articles available through the Libraries' databases.
How do I configure Google Scholar to display Find It @ FIU links?
Please see this FAQ for instruction on how to connect Google Scholar to the FIU Libraries to access articles that are available to you through the Libraries' databases.

Work Smart Library Workshops
The FIU Libraries offer Work Smart: Research Strategies workshops to help students and faculty succeed in their research projects. The workshops focus on helping you learn effective research strategies, efficient online database use, and how to cite.

Research Productivity Tips

Use the Pomodoro Technique: 25 min research, 5 min break after the first Pomodoro after completing four Pomodoro’s take a longer break of 15-30 minutes.
Organize your research with Zotero and EndNote, or save to your account with FIU Libraries or any of the databases
Keep a Research Log (Keywords, Sources, Findings) or Literature Review Log to keep track of your sources and findings.

Research Retreat Handouts

Research Retreat PowerPoint
This handout is the Research Retreat PowerPoint presentation and includes all the essential links and resources referenced during the session.
Pomodoro Tracker Template
This Pomodoro Tracker template is designed to help you manage your time efficiently using the Pomodoro Technique. It allows you to break down your work into focused intervals, typically 25 minutes each, separated by short breaks. This method enhances productivity and helps maintain concentration.
Literature Review Log
Use this log to track key details from articles and books you review, including their relevance to your research.
Research Tracker Log
Use this log to track your research progress, including topics, keywords, sources, and next steps.

Floor		Resources
One		Center for Academic Success: University Learning/Testing Center Electronic Classroom Broadcast Video Productions Resource for Education Technology UTS - Media Equipment Services Distance Learning Electronic Classroom Instructional Photography & Graphics
Two		Information & Research Services Curriculum & Juvenile Collection LACiC - Latin American and Caribbean Center Government Documents GIS-RS Center & Teaching Lab Maps & Imagery User Statistics
Three		Periodicals & Newspapers Laptop Lounge Honors College Student Resource Center College of Medicine Library Copiers Systems
Four		College of Medicine Special Collections & Archivese Academic Space Management School of Social Work Study Area
Five		Audiovisual Collection Diaz Ayala Collection Architecture and Fine Arts (General Collection and Periodical Section N) Music (General Collection and Periodical Section M) Music Listening Room Music CAI Center Spanish Resource Center Group Study Rooms
Six		Quiet Study Space Group Study Rooms General Collection HJ-L & P-Z Oversized Books
Seven		General Collection A-HG Quiet Study Floor Group Study Rooms
Eight		Library Administration Collection Management Digital Collections Center

Floor		Resources
One		Circulation Course Reserves Intercampus/Interlibrary Loan Information and Research Services Center for Excellence in Writing Communication Arts Studio Computer Labs/Copiers
Two		Microforms Periodicals Juvenile Collection Oversize Collection Video Collection Government Documents Reference Workroom Reference Collection Copiers
Three		General Collection, A-Z Library Administration

Work Smart Library Workshops

Sabine Dantus, Outreach & Reference Librarian

Holly Morganelli, Global Learning Librarian

Shelby Powell, Reference Librarian

Research Tools, Resources, & Support

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