Transcript Introduction to Library Research

Introduction to Library Research:
ENGL 1213
Prof. Dan Chaney
Humanities and Social Sciences Division
“So, I gotta write this research paper…
and I gotta go to the *gasp* LIBRARY!”
Not necessarily.
 The OSU Library has
many resources that
are available and
accessible without
ever darkening the
Library’s doorstep.
 But, if you need
help, the Library is
the place to start!
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So, How Do I Start?
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If you want to access
OSU Library resources,
start with the Library’s
web homepage.
www.library.okstate.edu
You’ll find links to
everything you need to
begin the research
process.
How Do We Start the Research
Process?
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What kinds of information
resources do you have at your
disposal?
In other words, what sorts of
things can you use to write that
paper?
 Books
 Periodicals
 Newspapers
 Magazines
 Journals
 Internet (caveat emptor –
buyer beware!)
What kinds of information
resources does your research
require?
Do You Know What Your Topic
Is?
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It seems silly to ask, but it’s
important to know.
Make sure your topic is focused and
sufficiently narrowed, so that when
you begin researching you won’t be
overwhelmed with a glut of
information.
If you go into the Library Catalog
searching for Native Americans as a
topic, you’re likely to find more than
500 books.
If you go into the Library Catalog
searching for information on native
americans and spirituality, you’ll find
fewer.
The Research Process Overview
1.
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4.
Find some books (use the
Library Catalog)
Find some periodicals (use
Indexes and Databases)
Evaluate the information you
identify
Incorporate it in your project
and cite it appropriately
Do Your Homework Before Research
Begins!
1.
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3.
State your research topic
as a single question.
Identify the separate
concepts that make up
the question.
Write down a list of
synonyms (words that
mean the same thing) as
the concepts from your
research question.
Brainstorming
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Native American spirituality –
how else can we qualify this
topic?
Native American, Native
Americans, American Indian,
American Indians, native
people, native peoples, etc.
Spirituality, spirit, spirits,
religion, religions, faith,
faiths, myth, myths,
mythology, mythologies, etc.
Write stuff down! Keeps a
list to help you remember!
What Exactly Is A Book?
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Long, creative work,
usually on a specific
topic (but not always)
Sometimes written by
one person, sometimes
more than one. Some
books are written by
many people who work
with an editor
Take a long time to
write and publish
Sometimes they go out
of date quickly
Why Do We Want to Use Books?
They are good for
background
information,
particularly if you
have no familiarity
with your topic
 They generally have
a LOT of relevant
information in one
place
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Cautions Regarding Books
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If you’re researching a topic
that is current – if your research
field has information added to it
regularly (for example, any
medical or scientific topic, such
as AIDS research) make sure
you choose books that are as
current as you can find
The more recent the book, the
better
Remember that sometimes the
books used for Freshman
Composition II research are in
demand by many students.
They may be all checked out as
the semester progresses.
You can recall titles, but there
could be waiting lists
How Do You Find Books?
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OSU Library Catalog
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You can search by keyword
(recommended if you know
what your topic is)
You can search by author or
title (if you already know
some resources
titles/authors)
You also can search to
determine if the Library
owns a periodical in print or
full-text (make sure to check
Journal Title)
Truncation…. Huh? Whazzat?
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Truncation is a technique
that allows you to account
for variant spelling of the
same basic root word.
For example, spirituality
might be spelled several
ways in the record: spirit,
spirits, spiritual, spirituality,
spiritualities, etc.
You might want to use OR to
connect words in a massive
long search protocol. Nope.
Try truncation.
In the OPAC, use a ?. To
truncate spirituality, enter
spirit?
The Wonderful World of Periodicals
Newspapers Vs.
Magazines Vs.
Journals
 Is there a difference?
 YES!
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Characteristics of Newspaper Articles
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Where do you find newspapers at?
Don’t cost much to buy
Lots of ads
Intended for the general public
Written by reporters, who generally
aren’t experts on their stories, and
sometimes don’t do research
Newspapers are entertainment
medium with short articles
Newspapers publish daily, because
information changes daily
Newsprint is cheap, not intended to be
permanent
Low information value, in general
Characteristics of Magazines
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Where do you find magazines?
Written by journalists, not always
experts, but there are exceptions
Magazines are entertainment, with some
long articles occasionally
Magazines average $4-5 per issue
Advertising present within
Published weekly or monthly
Intended for the general public
Somewhat more permanent
No bibliographies with articles
Medium information value
Characteristics of Journals
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Where do you find journals?
Some have Journal in the title
Written by scholars (Ph.Ds) for scholars
Long articles, very focused
Journals are research, not
entertainment
Journals are very expensive
No advertising
Published regularly, not necessarily
monthly or weekly
Articles always include bibliographies
Very high information value
Why Use Periodicals?
Generally they contain more current
information than books
 Books will give you basic information,
journals or magazines can update that
information
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How Do We Find Periodicals?
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Start at the Library
homepage
Click on Indexes and
Databases
Over 200 scholarly
databases for
periodicals
Click on Subject listing if
you want to see a list of
databases by discipline
How Do I Find A Database?
From the Library
homepage, click on
the link for Indexes
and Databases.
 Next, click on the
link off to the left for
Subject Listing.
 What subject(s)
might suit your
research topic?
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Databases Worth
Note
ProQuest Direct (PQD)
Covers newspapers, magazines and journals
 Most (not all) articles available full-text
 Coverage 1986 – present (in some cases, as early as
1970)
 Be selective, depending on what type of article you
need
 Select peer-reviewed if you want journal articles
 Beware of book reviews! They aren’t research!
 If article isn’t full-text, search the Library Catalog – it
may be full-text in another database
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Academic Search Elite (EBSCO)
Very similar to ProQuest Direct
 Covers some different periodicals
 Dates of coverage similar to PQD
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PsycINFO
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Indexes and abstracts psychology literature
Includes information not just about psychology, but
also includes references to the the psychological
aspects of related disciplines such as medicine,
psychiatry, nursing, sociology, education,
pharmacology, physiology, linguistics, anthropology,
business and law.
Covers journal articles, books, book chapters,
conference proceedings, dissertations, reports, etc.
Coverage starts in 1887
Limited full-text
ERIC
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Indexes and abstracts education literature
Coverage begins in 1966
Covers Education Journals (EJ)and ERIC Documents
(ED)
ERIC Documents include non-journal literature, such
as full text curriculum guides, theses, conference
papers, standards, reports, book chapters, etc.
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Not peer reviewed.
Many ERIC Documents (ED) found on microfiche in the
Microform & Media Room.
Sociological Abstracts
Indexes and Abstracts sociology
literature.
 Indexes 3000 periodicals related to
sociology, social work and other social
sciences
 Indexing from 1963-present; abstracts
from 1974 - present
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America: History and Life
Bibliographic reference to the history of the United
States and Canada from prehistory to the present.
Published since 1964, the database comprises almost
400,000 bibliographic
 Entries, covering over 2,000 US and foreign journals.
Over 90% of the articles abstracted are published in
English. Approximately 16,000 new entries are added
each year.
 Abstracts available
 Updated monthly
 Coverage 1964 - present
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JSTOR
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Full text access for over 150 scholarly journals
Included journals cover many disciplines, including African
American Studies, Anthropology, Asian Studies, Botany, Ecology,
Economics, Education, Finance, General Science, History,
Language & Literature, Latin American Studies, Mathematics,
Philosophy, Political Science, Population Studies, Slavic Studies,
Sociology, and Statistics.
Coverage generally ranges from 1900 to early/mid 1990's
Fully searchable, browsable and retrievable
Remember to select the subjects you wish to search before you
run your search.
Final Words of Wisdom…
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Remember to start
early.
If you need help, stop
in and talk to us – that’s
what we’re here for.
You can’t cut corners on
research. It takes time
to find good, quality
information.
Remember that
occasionally the
university loses it’s
Internet connection.