Key points to consider:
W&M Libraries has hundreds of databases with millions of articles, books, reports, etc.
It can be overwhelming deciding where to start.
If you're not sure, check out our subject guides & subject-based database lists.
This will highlight key resources for every major/minor/concentration at W&M.
Perhaps the hardest part of starting is deciding whether to start with books or articles.
Articles are not just shorter versions of books; each serves a different scholarly purpose.
Articles are argumentative, narrowly focused, and tackle very specific issues.
Books are also argumentative, but have a much broader scope and often provide contextual information absent from articles.
Chapters are often article length and are also narrow in focus, but unlike chapters, are meant to be read within a larger context.
Some fields, like Philosophy, are article heavy. Others, like History, are book (or "monograph") focused. And to add to the confusion, disciplines like Education or Political Science are about evenly split between articles & books.
When deciding where to start, ask yourself: "is this topic broad enough that it would be covered in a book, or is it narrow enough for a journal article?" This will dictate whether you start in a database or in the library's book catalog.