Return To: FRESHMAN ORIENTATION MATERIALS Books | Periodical Articles | Internet | Bibliography To find BOOKS dealing with your topic, use the library’s online catalog. The catalog is like an inventory of all items the library owns. Think of the catalog as a searchable list of books, organized by title, author, or subject. Books provide broad,
in-depth coverage of a topic. Because they take a long time to produce, books are usually
not the most current source of information, but usually give comprehensive background and
analysis. To find PERIODICAL ARTICLES dealing with your topic, use an index. Periodical indexes list articles the same way that a catalog lists books. Traditional indexes point you to where an article is available. There are also full-text periodical indexes, such as EBSCO's Academic Search Complete (requires User ID & PIN number for off-campus access), which provide entire articles online.
Periodical
articles are usually much shorter than books, and therefore have a much more narrow focus.
Articles tend
to be more current than
books and can be useful if you need recent information on a topic. Check the INTERNET for more information. Start with a "search engine" (like Yahoo! or Google). Go to the library’s web site for a quick list of Internet Search Tools. The WORLD WIDE WEB, that portion of the Internet with sound, graphics, and hypertext links, has an amazing variety of information on practically any topic. If you need current information the Web may be your best choice, since breaking news is available as events occur. Accuracy and objectivity, however, must always be considered when using web pages as sources of information. Keep track of your sources! For most papers you must provide a BIBLIOGRAPHY, which is a list of all information sources used. A bibliography is comprised of citations, which provide information necessary to locate a specific resource, such as author, title, publisher, date, and page number(s). There are many citation styles, such as MLA or APA. Your instructor may require a specific style. Citation manuals and help sheets are available online or in the library. McNEESE LIBRARY | UNIVERSITY | LIBRARY ORIENTATION MATERIALS
This page last updated on
August 15, 2008. |
