Skip to McMaster Navigation Skip to Site Navigation Skip to main content
McMaster logo

Research Consultations

Research Consultations are reserved for those users who have a clear research question in mind and have already completed some initial searching.  If you’re new to literature searching or just getting started, you can visit the Service Desk for help.

What to Expect

A scheduled 30-60 minute meeting with a librarian. Depending on availability, librarians may not be able to accommodate tight deadlines. Book early!

All research consultations will be conducted online using Zoom. The librarian will provide you with an online meeting invitation for your consultation once you agree on a mutually convenient time.

A Librarian Can…

  • Critically review your search strategy
  • Advise on database selection
  • Provide guidance on searching grey literature
  • Recommend methods for documenting your search strategy and managing your citations
  • Refer you to other resources to support your research (e.g. quality assessment tools)
  • Provide advice on publishing
  • Help measure your research impact through author identifiers and research metrics

A Librarian Cannot….

  • Conduct your search for you
  • Accomodate users who have not adequately prepared for their consultation

Preparing for Your Consultation

Review the Preparing for Your Consultation checklist to make sure you are ready to meet with a librarian.