Contact the research librarians
Gutman librarians are available to answer your questions Monday - Friday, 10 am - noon and 1 - 4 pm EDT
Email: Use our Ask Us form
Drop in at the Library Services desk on Gutman's 2nd floor: Monday - Friday, 10 am - noon and 1 - 4 pm EDT
Need more in-depth research help? Make a virtual appointment to work with a research librarian.
To schedule a time, use the Gutman Library Research Appointment tool.
Install Check Harvard Library Bookmark
Install the Check Harvard Library Bookmark to link easily to Harvard Library's full-text access.
Find scholarly articles & books
Ex: Effectiveness of four instructional programs designed to serve English learners
Ex: "educational leadership" equity handbook*
Understand the big picture
Use handbook chapters and literature review articles to:
- Get an overview of a new or complex topic
- Find out the names of key authors in a given area
- Locate terms that you can use in your research
- Help narrow (or expand) your topic
- Locate a bibliography of sources to help you start your research
Search tip: Add handbook* or "literature review*" to your search terms.
Search subject databases
It's okay to begin with Google or HOLLIS, but then switch to specialized databases to find the best research from your discipline(s).
Use our "3-in-1" search for education-related topics:
Manage and cite my research
Use Zotero to:
- create reference lists in APA and other formats
- create a searchable database of your research
- import citations, abstracts, and more from online sources
- organize notes and full text documents, such as PDFs, images, spreadsheets
Access Options
Begin in HOLLIS to find books and articles available through the Harvard Library.
In HOLLIS but not available online?
- Go to Access Options on the HOLLIS record and click the "Scan & Deliver" or "Interlibrary Loan (now includes Borrow Direct)" link to request digital copies of articles and book chapters (only two chapters per book). Learn more about Scan & Deliver | Learn more about interlibrary loan
Not in HOLLIS or not available at Harvard?
- Go to Access Options on the HOLLIS record and click the "Interlibrary Loan (now includes Borrow Direct)" link to request materials from our partner libraries. Learn more about Borrow Direct | Learn more about interlibrary loan
Find more research tools and tips
For additional subject databases (business, medicine, psychology, etc.) and other resources for exploring current knowledge, see our RKA Research Tools guide.