Introduction to Library Research

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Introduction to Library Research

• Doug Way
• wayd_at_gvsu.edu
• 331-2863

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Today we will talk about

• Research Strategies
• Scholarly Publications v. Popular and Trade
  Publications
• Introduction to Catalog Database Searching
• Which databases should you use?
• What are some general features of most databases?
• How do you know if GVSU owns what you need?

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Research Strategies

• Turning research question into variables
• Keys to Success
• Well-defined research question or topic
• Understanding how things are organized in the
  catalog and databases
• Different from Google
• Free-text searching
• Catalog and databases use controlled vocabulary
• Identifying Keywords
• Alternative Terms

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Research Strategies

• Developing Search Terms (identifying keywords and
  alternatives)
• Research Topic
• I am looking for information on anorexia among
  female college students

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Research Strategies

• Developing Search Terms
• Connecting Terms
• Boolean Operators
• And (narrows search)
• Or (broadens search)

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Evaluating Journals

• Three categories of journals
• Popular (Time, Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated)
• Trade (Library Journal, Automotive News)
• Scholarly or Peer Reviewed (Journal of the
  American Medical Association, Nature)

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Evaluating Journals

• Look at the article that you have been given.
  Based on the criteria on the chart, decide
  whether the article is from a scholarly, trade or
  popular journal.
• An article will not necessarily meet all of the
  criteria for any one type of journal.

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Evaluating Journals

• Each category of journals has its own
  characteristics
• Characteristics of Scholarly Publications
• Lengthy Articles
• Sources cited in footnotes or in a bibliography
• Articles written by specialists or experts in
  that field
• Authors credentials or place of employment are
  spelled out

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Finding Journal Articles

• Where do you find Journal Articles?
• Online Catalog?

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Finding Journal Articles

• What do you find in the Online Catalog?
• Items we own
• Books
• Music
• Videos
• Journals
• Issues we own, what format they are in (online,
  in paper, on microfilm or microfiche), where they
  are located
• Searching the Online Catalog
• www.gvsu.edu

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Finding Journal Articles

• You use a database to find what articles are in a
  given journal title.
• Databases index journal articles
• Why not just use the internet?
• Information in databases is not available for
  free on the web
• Databases are more precise than web search
  engines
• Limited amount of scholarly information is on the
  internet

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Finding Journal Articles

• Kinds of Databases
• General (cover multiple disciplines)
• Expanded Academic ASAP
• ProQuest databases (all)
• Wilson Select Plus
• Specialized
• GeoBase
• PAIS (International and International Archive)
• ProQuest Social Science Databases
• JSTOR

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Searching Databases

• www.gvsu.edu/library
• Click on Databases A-Z