Section 1
Section 1:
Getting
Started with Your Research
Choosing a Topic
Citing Materials
Constructing a Search Library Resource Guides
Finding Articles
Ask a Librarian
Finding Books
Library FAQs
Choosing a Topic
One of the most
difficult parts of a research paper or project is getting started with a topic
and knowing where to look for information that can help you narrow your
interest. The following resources make up a
small proportion of those available at the Sterne and Lister Hill Libraries, but
are a good place to jump start your research efforts. To begin.... start by
searching into recent issues of newspapers and
magazines for ideas.
Newspaper Source
-
provides cover-to-cover full text for 47 national (U.S.)
and international newspapers. The database also contains selective full text for
390 regional (U.S.) newspapers. In addition, full-text television & radio news
transcripts are provided from CBS News, CNN, CNN International, FOX News, NPR,
etc. This linked
research guide
will show you how to search for local newspapers.
National Newspaper
Abstracts
- Abstracts and indexing for New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal
LexisNexis News
- Over 4000 newspapers from the world;
includes Chronicle of Higher
Education and student
newspapers.
Can't find what you are looking for? Go
here
for a list of other NEWS databases available.
Tutorial/Resources:
Sterne:
Web-based Interactive Tutorial (WIT)
-
It is a Web-based, interactive tutorial to teach basic library and research
skills. It covers the research process from topic selection to citation styles.
Lister Hill:
Lister Hill Tutorials
Constructing
a Search
Once you have found a general area
of interest, you will need to take a more in-depth and narrower look at the
topic by constructing a "smart"and efficient search of more scholarly
literature. The resources below demonstrate effective means of conducting a
search.
Sterne Library Tutorials:
Constructing a Search
- This is an interactive online resource that provides guidance on effective
searches of library databases.
Research
Worksheet - This accompanying worksheet will
help narrow your search.
Lister Hill Tutorials:
Using Key Concepts to Conduct a Search
- Offers guidance on creating a clear research statement and identifying key
concepts.
Searching Using Boolean Operators
- Provides information on effective use of various operational terms to refine
your search.
Finding articles
The next step is to conduct a
literature review, which is to compile the research that has been previously
conducted on a topic area. The databases below provide access to articles
conducted by more accredited scholars and researchers.
Sterne Library
(General Databases)
Academic Search Elite -
This database contains full text for more than 2,100 journals. More than 190
journals have PDF images dating back to 1985.
Academic Onefile -
Contains
peer-reviewed, full-text journals and reference sources with millions of
articles available in both PDF and HTML full text.
Reader’s Guide Full Text
- A searchable full-text database plus abstracting and indexing for a broad
selection of the most-wanted popular periodicals.
Research Library - The database includes more than 4,070 titles—nearly 2,800
in full text—from 1971 forward.
Sterne Library
(Subject Specific Databases)
Subject Specific Databases
This links you to a website of 44 subject areas, ranging from Accounting to
Women's Studies. Each subject area has multiple searchable databases.
Sterne Library Tutorials:
Locating Articles
- This tutorial will help you identify and search the most appropriate databases
given your topic.
Lister Hill Library:
Popular Scholarly Journals
PubMed (Biomedical literature)
-
Interface for searching MEDLINE, the online index of biomedical journal article
citations from 1950 to present. Premiere database of medical literature.
CINAHL Plus with Full Text (Nursing and Allied Health)
-
Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature. Indexing for 3,024
journals for nursing and allied health. Includes Evidence-Based Care Sheets,
books, nursing dissertations, conference proceedings, standards of practice, &
software.
Web of Science
-
Web version of Science Citation Index. Provides
researchers, administrators, faculty, and students with quick, powerful access
to the bibliographic and citation information they need to find relevant,
comprehensive research data. Overcome information overload and focus on
essential data from over 3,700 of the world's leading scientific and technical
journals across 100 disciplines
All databases and resources
- this link provides you with an "A to Z" list of all the databases and
resources available at Lister Hill Library.
Lister Hill Tutorials:
Finding Articles - This links to more than 10 different tutorials that
cover the topic of Finding Articles in the Lister Hill Library.
Find books
You will also want to gather the various books that are written about your
subject. The resources below will provide instructions on how to locate those
books. Plus, if the libraries do not have the book or article in their
collections, you can always use Interlibrary Loan to get the book or article
that you need.
Sterne Library:
Catalog - the catalog will show you the
location, format, call number and status of all periodicals held within the
library.
Sterne Library Tutorials:
Local Catalog
- this tutorial will help you learn how to locate materials in Sterne Library's
online public access catalog.
Lister Hill Library:
Catalog
- The catalog lists books, journals, online resources, videos, etc. to which the
library provides access.
Ebooks - this webpage will enable you to
search the available Ebooks, as well as offering, full text searching and title
browsing.
Lister Hill
Tutorials:
Using
the Library Catalog: Introduction &
Using the Library Catalog: Advanced - These
tutorials provide a brief overview (Introduction) and detailed instructions
(Advanced) on how to use the Lister Hill Library catalog to find books,
journals, and resources.
Finding
books (handout) - This is a Word document that
will assist you in finding books.,
Finding eBooks - Provides a brief overview
on how to find eBooks at Lister Hill Library.
Interlibrary
Loan
(ILLiad)& Document Delivery: Interlibrary Loan
is where the library gets articles or books for you that are not in their
collection. Articles are sent to you electronically, books are held for you to
pick up and check out. Document Delivery is a service where the library sends
you electronic copies of articles from our collection, saving you the time of
copying them yourself.
Illiad Tutorials:
Illiad
Account Setup
Illiad Request
Illiad Request via Article
Linker
Properly citing information
Once you have gathered your resources you want to make sure you have properly
cited the information in your paper to give the authors of the work you are
referencing proper credit. Plus,
Each discipline uses its own citation style. You should make sure that you are
using the appropriate format for your paper.
Sterne Library:
Citing Your
Sources - This link will take you to the library's main citation
resources. From here you should be able to get the appropriate guidelines needed
to various methods of citation. The most popular citation formats are American
Psychological Association (APA), Chicago Manual of Style (Chicago), Modern
Language Association (MLA) and Turabian.
Sterne Library Tutorials:
Citing Materials
- the tutorial is a quick look at the available citation resources at the
library.
Lister Hill Library:
Style
Manuals and Writing Guides - this link will take you to a list of
style manuals and guides (American Medical Association (AMA), American
Psychological Association (APA), Chicago, etc.) which offer references for
appropriate citation.
Lister Hill Tutorials:
Endnote
Endnote Web
How to Comply with the NIH Public Access Policy: Citing the PMCID
Modify Endnote to
Include the PMCID from EndNote
Style
Manuals and Writing Guides
Resource Guides
For a list of general research resources that may help you during
your research, please look at the following:
Sterne
Library
Resources
Lister Hill Library
Resources
Ask a Librarian
Your best source for information are the librarians. They are their to help you
and will certainly be able to assist you with your research efforts. Do not
hesitate to call on them for help. You'll be glad you did.
Sterne Library
Ask a Librarian
Lister Hill Library
Ask a Librarian
Library FAQs
For answer to frequently asked questions about the Libraries please
check the links below.
Sterne Library
FAQs
Lister Hill
Library
FAQs