College Writing & Research (Grant)

Rod Library Home Page: http://www.library.uni.edu

• Ask Us! links on right and left sides - IM, text, email, call, stop by, research consultation
• General Information heading on left side of screen - About Us/Building Hours, Floor Plans, Research Help/Tutorials
• Center headings: Articles, Books & More, Course Reserves

Search Tips Applicable to Many Databases

• Search planning: (1)concise topic; (2)identify concepts in topic; (3) come up with words to express each concept
• Many databases require using double quotations to get exact phrases: "King Corn"
• Connecting search terms with AND means that all must be present somewhere in search results - narrows search
• Connecting related terms with OR means at least one of terms must be present - broadens search
• Use asterisk to get variations in word endings:  farm* retrieves farm, farms, farmer, etc.
• Search in specific fields,  like Titles and Subjects, to get more precise results
• Database help screens when practice seem to differ from above

Finding Books & More - Use UNISTAR, the Library Catalog

• Basic, Advanced, and Specialized search forms
   
• Author, Title, and Journal Title indexes for known items
• Keyword and Subject indexes to find items on a topic
   
• Need Location and call number to find physical items in the Rod Library Building

Find a Journal or Locate a Known Article

• Use this heading to find out if Library has a certain journal in print or online format
• Use the Article Locator or Google Scholar, if you already have a citation to an article and want to see if the full text is in a library database or free on the Internet

Finding Articles in Journals, Magazines, Newspapers, and Other Publications

• Journal or Magazine? Recognizing the Difference (audience, worked cited, peer-reviewed, etc.)
   
• Articles section of  Library home page
• View a list of databases A-Z , to select a specific database to search
• Advanced Search by subject area or field of study (Panther Prowler), to search several databases simultaneously
   
• Academic OneFile has journals, magazines, newspapers; all broad subject areas
• Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center includes articles and other pub types with arguments on major issues
• CQ Researcher includes reports with articles, including pro and con debates, on major issues
• LexisNexis Academic includes articles from newspapers and magazines on wide range of topics
   
• Panther Prowler - Basic Resources category searches mix of academic journals, magazines, essays, and books (Academic OneFile, Academic Search Elite, CQ Researcher, Readers' Guide Index, UNISTAR)
   
• Look for  in Library databases or  Check for Availability in Panther Prowler to see if Rod Library has full text of article in some other database or in print
  

Evaluating Sources As You Search

• Does source type meet assignment requirements?
• If yes, consider factors such as the author, the author's qualifications, the  publisher of the study, the author's point of view, and the quality of the specific source (its logic, organization, reasoning, etc.)
• Critical Evaluation of Information Sources is a guide to evaluating all types of information sources
• Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply & Questions to Ask focuses on web site evaluation

 http://www.library.uni.edu/library-instruction/course-web-pages/college-writing-research-grant