COMM 1010 Library Research Tipsheet

Research tools:

• Find Articles - article databases
• Find Books - book catalogs
• Full Text Journal Finder - Is a periodical available in full text in the library or in a database?
• ILLiad - Interlibrary loan in case a periodical article or book is not at SUU.
• NetStorage - F: drive off campus access to your files (access from Current Students)

Finding topic ideas:

• 10,000 Ideas for Term Papers, Projects, Reports & Speeches. Check for this book in the library Reference area. It has thousands of listings of original research topics.
• Library catalog (SUU Library/Find Books)
  • Search for Current Controversies or Opposing Viewpoints to find hundreds of books dealing with current issues.
• Article databases (SUU Library/Find Articles)
  • CQ Researcher (note Advanced Search)
  • Opposing Viewpoints (note Viewpoints tab)
  • SIRS Knowledge Source - SIRS Researcher (note Pro vs Con and Leading Issues)
  • Academic Search Premier (use Subject search for identifying sub-topics)

Academic Search Premier search tips:

• Enter your keywords ( e.g.: divorce AND history; custom* AND tattoo*)
• In Limit your results box limit to Full Text and/or date
• In Narrow Results by boxs limit to type of publication (Academic Journals or Magazines) or Subject

Other useful article databases:

• Ethnic NewsWatch (in Behavioral & Social Science)
• GenderWatch (in Behavioral & Social Science)
• ProQuest Newspapers (in Basic Research Databases)
• Communication & Mass Media Complete (in Behavioral & Social Science)

Sources from the Internet:

• When to use the Web
  • the information is not available by any other means
  • the Web provides more up-to-date information
  • the Web offers specifics on a topic not found using other sources
  • the Web provides information from a more credible source (such as a government agency, a professional organization, etc.)
• Searching
  • phrases: use quotes or dashes; e.g., "bank failures", bank-failures
  • Boolean: use + and -; e.g., utah +divorce
  • restrict domain: e.g., bank-failures +site:.gov, bank-failures +site:.edu

Evaluating information sources:

• Authority
  • Is there an author?
  • Check the URL or domain; .gov, .edu, .org, .net, .com
• Accuracy/Objectivity
  • Is the information reliable and error-free?
  • Are references to supporting information available?
  • Does information show bias or advertising?
• Currency
  • Is page dated? When last updated?
  • Are links current?

Citing sources using APA format:

• From SUU Library choose Research Guides
  • APA format examples
  • APA in-text citation example
  • Research & Documentation Online (Diana Hacker)
• Most article databases have information on how to cite articles:
  • CQ Researcher - at article click CiteNow!
  • Opposing Viewpoints - How to Cite uses MLA only
  • Academic Search Premier
    • Click article title in Results list
    • Click Cite this article icon at top
    • Copy/paste citation. (Check Research & Documentation Online for exact formatting and punctuation.)