1. Buley Library Research Basics Winnie Shyam Shyamw1@southernct.edu (203) 392-5762 BU 122G Fall 2013

2. Whats Where Ground Floor Periodicals (Magazines, Journals, Newspapers), Theses, Microfilm, Microfiche First Floor Reference Books, Maps, Videos, DVDs, Music CDs, Leisure Reading Second Floor Circulating Books A-PN Third Floor Circulating Books PN-Z, Juvenile Collection, Oversize Collection, Curriculum Lab Collection, Special Collections and Archives 3. Finding Books, DVDs, eBooks, etc. On the library home page (http://library.southernct.edu/) enter your search in the CONSULS quick search box and click on Search. The default is keyword. Use the pull-down menu for other searches. CONSULS displays the holding of all four state universities Central (CCSU), Eastern (ECSU), Southern (SCSU), and Western (WCSU), and the State Library (StLib). Click here for Advanced Use pull-down menu to search by author, title, subject, etc. Enter search terms in the quick search box 4. How Books Are Arranged Books are arranged by the Library of Congress Call Number System. Each book has a call number which consists of letters and numbers as in the record below. The letter in a call number represents a major subject area. Books on a subject are grouped together. Call Number 5. Subject Search Use SUBJECT search to find information on a broad topic. In a SUBJECT search, only the subject/descriptor field of a record is searched. 6. Keyword Search Keyword search uses natural language search terms. Keyword searches retrieve many records, some of which may be irrelevant In a keyword search the search term you enter may appear anywhere in the record (title, subject, notes, table of contents, etc.). 7. Requesting items from another CSU Library You can request items that are available at the other three state universities, online. Click on Request and follow the directions 8. Advanced Search The advanced search screen presents many more search options. 9. Search Strategies Combine your main search concepts with operators such as and, or or not to give your search focus Do not use phrase words in a search To search an exact phrase type the phrase in quotations Example: Stand your ground Look at the subject headings or descriptors in the records in your results list to see what search terms are being used in the database for your topic 10. Illustrating AND operator Liberal education and success Combine search terms with and to narrow your search and get records containing all search terms. The shaded overlapping area represents the number of records that contain the terms, liberal education and success. 11. Illustrating OR operator liberal education OR higher education Combine search terms with or to get more results. An or search retrieves at least one if not both search terms. The shaded area represents the number of records that contain either liberal education or higher education 12. Illustrating NOT operator college not school Not excludes search terms that appear after it. In this example, only the term college is searched. The term school is excluded. The yellow circle represents records that contain the word college. The pink circle represents the records that contain school. 13. Using Parentheses Parentheses are used to group search words for more complex or focused searches. Example: higher education and (success or failure) In this search, documents that contain the word higher education and either the word success or the word failure ,or both, are retrieved. 14. Finding Periodicals in the Library Click on Journals by Title to see if the library has the periodical you need 15. Interlibrary Loan (ILL) If the library does not have the periodical you need we can get the article for you through interlibrary loan. Click on Library Services to get to ILL. Then click on ILL to access the loan forms. Fill in the form and submit. First time users will need to fill out a profile form. 16. Finding Journal, Magazine, and Newspaper Articles Search Databases to find periodical articles. Databases can be accessed from the Articles tab on the library home page. From the Articles page select All Databases Click on Articles To access databases On the Articles page , select All Databases 17. Choosing the right databases Click on By Subject to access databases by discipline Databases under this tab are good starting points for research. We recommend you begin your search on Academic Search Premier 18. Databases vs. Internet Why use Databases? Databases, not internet search engines, should be the first stop for any academic research assignment. Information in databases goes through a peer-review process and is therefore more reliable Why not the Internet? You may use the internet for browsing or getting acquainted with your topic but use library databases to find quality information for your papers. Information on the web needs to be evaluated 19. Scholarly or Peer-reviewed Journals Articles are written by a scholar or researcher in the field and are most often published by a specific organization The language is that of the discipline covered and usually requires the reader to have some knowledge of the subject. May often contain graphs and charts. Cite sources in the form of bibliographies Some Scholarly Journal Titles Energy and Environment Journal of Social Issues Nineteenth Century Literature Social Justice Research Workforce Management 20. Popular and Other Periodicals Usually written by a member of the editorial staff, a scholar, or a free-lance writer and generally published by commercial enterprises or an individual though some may be published by a professional organization. Contain general interest articles aimed at a broad audience. Articles have illustrations or photographs. Articles usually do not cite sources. Some Popular Periodical Titles Ebony Newsweek Rolling Stone Sports Illustrated Time 21. Evaluating Information in Print and on the Web with the CRAP Test Currency When was the information published? When was it last updated? Is the source current or out of date for your topic? Reliability Is the information well researched? Is there supporting evidence? Is the information too elementary, technical or advanced? Who is the audience? Authority What are the authors credentials? Is the author well known in her/his field? Is there contact information? What are the publishers credentials? Purpose or Point of View Is the information fact, opinion or propaganda? Is it free from bias? Is the author objective and impartial? 22. CRAP Video Dr. Chad Bauman has created an excellent music video which is a humorous take on the CRAP test. The video is available at http://youtu.be/R5NbTBXddrwPro 23. Research Guides Guides on various topics such as research skills, course specific guides, citation styles, plagiarism, Google Scholar, etc., are available to help students with their research. Click on Research at Buley on the library home page and select Research Guides to access these guides. Access database tutorials and help guides on Google Scholar, citation styles, and much more Learn how to borrow and renew books, access course reserves, etc. 24. Need help? Go to the Reference Desk on the main floor of the library for help during normal reference hours. Schedule an individual appointment with your subject librarian. You can Ask Us a question, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter by using the relevant icons at the bottom of the library home page. Schedule an appointment with a librarian More ways to get help