Introduction to Library Research: ENGL 1213

1. Introduction to Library Research:ENGL 1213 Prof. Dan Chaney Humanities and Social Sciences Division

2. “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!

3. So, How Do I Start? • 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.

4. How Do We Start the Research Process? • 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?

5. Do You Know What Your Topic Is? • 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.

6. The Research Process Overview • 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

7. Do Your Homework Before Research Begins! • 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.

8. Brainstorming • 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!

9. What Exactly Is A Book? • 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

10. 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

11. Cautions Regarding Books • 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

12. How Do You Find Books? • OSU Library Catalog • 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)

13. Truncation…. Huh? Whazzat? • 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?

14. The Wonderful World of Periodicals • Newspapers Vs. Magazines Vs. Journals • Is there a difference? • YES!

15. Characteristics of Newspaper Articles • 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

16. Characteristics of Magazines • 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

17. Characteristics of Journals • 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

18. Why Use Periodicals? • Generally they contain more current information than books • Books will give you basic information, journals or magazines can update that information

19. How Do We Find Periodicals? • 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

20. 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?

21. Databases Worth Note

22. 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

23. Academic Search Elite (EBSCO) • Very similar to ProQuest Direct • Covers some different periodicals • Dates of coverage similar to PQD

24. PsycINFO • 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

25. ERIC • 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. • Not peer reviewed. • Many ERIC Documents (ED) found on microfiche in the Microform & Media Room.

26. 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

27. 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

28. JSTOR • 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.

29. Final Words of Wisdom… • 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.