Bibliographic
Research:
Using the Library
Go to The Master’s College Library Web site:
http://www.masters.edu/library
© Janet Tillman/The Master’s College, 2006-2008, permission is granted for non-profit
educational use; any reproduction or modification should include this statement.
Effective Research
• Use Sources to Find More
Sources
–This is the key to doing effective
research
–This is research
–Find related material on a topic
–Leads to primary sources
Use what you know to find
what you don’t know
• Key terms (persons, places, events,
professional jargon)
• Reputed scholars
• Subject headings, descriptors
• Library Classification numbers (DDC,
LC)
• References Cited (Authors, Titles)
Effective Research
• USE SOURCES TO FIND OTHER SOURCES
– From the Work – (aka Citation searching):
Bibliography, References Cited, Endnotes
– From the Bibliographic Record: Authors, Titles,
Subject Headings, Call Numbers, Descriptors
– From the Text: Glean keywords, persons, places,
events, professional jargon, colloquialisms, variant
spellings
Effecive Research
• Use Sources to find more sources
– Encyclopedias provide:
•
•
•
•
•
Respected authors
Professional jargon
Key persons, places and events
Excellent bibliographies
Starting point for most research projects
–
–
–
–
–
For all the reasons listed above
Provides a ready made outline
Background information on topic
Improved understanding of further research
Gives focus and direction to your topic/thesis
Added benefit
• The key terms, professional
jargon, persons, places,
events you discover through
the process could and often
times should be used in the
paper itself.
Part 1: Bibliographic Research
• Examine the Library’s Web site the starting point
and primary access point for your research.
• Use the Library Catalog to find books and other
resources in and through the library.
• Use Periodical Holdings page to find journals held
by the library (print and electronic).
• Identify appropriate Databases/Indexes which are
tools used to easily locate articles and other
research resources.
Part 2: Efficient and Effective
Online Searching
•
•
•
•
Identifying Search Engine Features
Journal Linker
Interlibrary Loan Services
Demonstration using ERIC in
FirstSearch
• Devising a Search Query
• Online Search Tips
Go to the Library Web site:
masters.edu/library
OR
Peruse Library’s Web Site
Research Guides
• Glossary of Terms
• Research Worksheet
• Evaluating Resources
• Identifying Scholarly Books
• Identifying Scholarly Periodicals
• General Guide to Library Resources
Research Guides
Citation
• A reference to a book, passage, article,
etc., indicating where the item may be
found
– In-text cite, parenthetical cite,
– Footnote, Endnote
– Bibliography, Reference List
Bibliographic Record
• Information about the books and other
resources held by a library
• A description of each item including
author, title, publisher, editions, physical
description, etc.
– Brief Record (author, title, date, call
number)
– Full Record (TOC, Notes, physical
description Subject Headings, ISBN, etc.)
LCSH and DDC
• Library of Congress Subject Headings
(LCSH)
– standardized controlled vocabulary
– Identify resources on the same topic
• Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC)
– Arranges materials on the shelves (address
of the item)
– Materials on the same subject will be in the
same vicinity
Library Catalog
Basic Search
Basic Search - Keyword
• Keyword Search retrieves
records containing ALL and
EACH term applying both the
Boolean “AND” and “OR”
respectively
• Boolean logic = Binary logic
Help with understanding
Boolean Logic applied to online
searching
• Research Strategies / Badke
(chapter 2) [001.42 B142r]
AND/OR
• Tutorial – Boolean Logic
– Research Guides  Tutorials 
Boolean Logic
Basic Search - Keyword
Basic Search - Keyword
Basic Search - Keyword
Basic Search - Keyword
Basic Search – Browse
•
•
•
•
•
Author Browse
Subject Browse
Call number Browse
Author/Title Browse
Journal Title Browse
Searches terms
found in an
alpha/numeric
listing of the
selected browse
field
Basic Search – Subject Browse
Basic Search – Subject Browse
Use Sources to find
other sources
•Alternative search terms
•Library’s content
Basic Search – Subject Browse
Use Sources to find
other sources
Basic Search – Subject Browse
Basic Search - Summary
• “Keyword” retrieves records with ALL
and EACH term in the bibliographic
record
• Subject Browse is extremely useful
for identifying LC Subject headings,
additional terminology and library
holdings
Online Catalog - Advanced Search
Advanced Search
Advanced Search
• Word order ignored
– occurrences of search terms are found
regardless of where the terms appear in the
specified field – beginning , middle or end
• Searches the bibliographic record
– Keyword = the entire record
– Specified field(s)
Advanced Search
Combine Boolean operations
Field
Selections
Advanced Search
Advanced Search
Use sources to
find more sources
Brief Record
Full Bibliographic Record
Use Sources to find
other sources
Advanced Search Summary
• Searches the entire bibliographic
record or selected field
• Boolean operations can be
combined with multiple field
selections to refine a search
“Online Resource:”
Remote Access to E-Books
• MasterNet id/password
Remote Access to E-Books
www.netlibrary.com
“Create
(while on campus)
a free account”
Periodical Holdings
Periodical Holdings
Periodical Holdings
use when indexes
do not provide the
full-text
eIndexes
providing full-text
Periodical Holdings
Periodical Holdings
+ = continuing subscription
[ ] = missing issues
BD = Bound
Periodical Holdings Summary
• Tells you what journal titles the
library subscribes to; both print and
electronic
• Especially useful when online
indexes do not provide the full-text
• eIndexes listed are limited to those
that provide full-text
Now you know …
• Library Catalog will tell you what books
the library has.
• Periodical Holdings will tell you what
journals the library has.
Databases and Indexes
• Databases are tools used to find
information stored in digital form
Specifically with regard to
bibliographic research they are
• Tools used to find Articles and other
kinds of scholarly documents
Databases and Indexes
• Indexes are those databases that index
periodical literature
– Magazines, journals, newspapers
• “Databases” are those that index other
kinds of scholarly information
– Books, proceedings, government
documents, theses & dissertations,
reports, etc.
Databases and Indexes
• Some databases index both periodicals
and other kinds of scholarly information
• Some Indexes are print; not online
databases
Periodical Indexes
• All provide citations
– Author, title of article, journal name, volume, issue,
date, page numbers
– Print or electronic
• Most indexes also provide abstracts
– Summary of the article
– Print or electronic
• Many also provide the full-text
– Actual text of the article is online
– Electronic
Indexes to Periodicals:
Tools for finding Articles
• Interdisciplinary Indexes
– Covers journals from many disciplines
– Academic Search, ProQuest Research
Library, Wilson Select Plus, Electronic
Collections Online (ECO)
• Subject Specific Indexes
– Covers a particular topic
– ERIC, ATLA, Arts & Humanities Citation
Index, Primary Search, EBSCO Animals
Indexes to Periodicals:
Tools for finding Articles
•No all inclusive Index
•Several Indexes needed to cover a topic
•Become familiar with primary indexes in
your discipline
Databases/Indexes
Select Appropriate Online
Databases
• Description
– “About”;
,
– Provider (author, publisher, vendor)
• Content of the database’s records
– Bibliographic records, Citations, Abstracts, Fulltext
– Index, Directory, eBooks
• Subject content
– Focused; Subject specific – ATLA, ERIC
– Interdisciplinary – Academic Search, ProQuest
Select Appropriate Online
Databases
• Scope of Coverage
– Topics covered and not covered
– Depth of coverage on a given topic
• Number of resources
• Type of documents
– Types of documents included
• Books, journals, newspapers, thesis, dissertations,
proceedings, gov’t docs, reports
• Web sites, images, sound
• Dates of Coverage
• Audience
Knowing about a
database/index will help you…
• Learn what it does and does not do
• Learn how best to use it
• Identify the best tool(s) for the job.
• Devise a more efficient search query to
retrieve the best records.
Biographical
Biological
Theological
Used by permission
from Katie Custis
Databases/Indexes Summary
• The library’s databases and indexes are used to
find articles and other research resources
• Use the Topic/Type matrix on the Databases/
Indexes page to get a comprehensive list of all
the databases and indexes supporting each
major field of study
• Learn “About” and examine “Help” so your
search efforts are as efficient and effective as
possible.
Periodical Holdings vis a vis
Databases/Indexes
• What does the Periodical Holdings Web
page do for you?
– Periodical Holdings will tell you what journal
titles the library subscribes to.
• What does the Databases/Indexes Web
page do for you?
– Databases/Indexes provides the links to the
tools which are then used to locate articles
and other scholarly documents.
Now you know
• Difference between Catalog’s Basic
and Advanced searches
• How to find the journals TMC provides
• How to find appropriate indexes for
locating articles
Break Time
Be ready to start in 15 min.
QUIZ
• The Periodical Holdings page is used to find
magazines and journals held by TMC Library
• The Library Catalog is used to find books and
other resources in the library
• The Databases/Indexes page is used to access
the tools that index articles and other research
documents
Efficient and Effective Online
Searching
•
•
•
•
Identifying Search Engine Features
Journal Linker
Interlibrary Loan Services
Demonstration using ERIC in
FirstSearch
• Devising a Search Query
• Online Search Tips
Identify Search Engine
Features
• Help
– Preferences: single vs. plural, records per
page, detail displayed for each result
– Boolean, Phrasing, Proximity, Field Codes
– Wildcard, Truncation
– Sort
• Search Tips
Identify Search Engine
Features
• Search Modes
– Basic/Advanced/Visual
– Publication/Source
– Topic Guide/Browse Index
• Fields
– Differ with each database
– Indicative of database content
– Focuses the search query
Identify Search Engine
Features
• Limiting options
– Language, date, type of document, full-text,
scholarly/peer reviewed, etc.
– Differ with each database
• Sorting/Ranking options
– Date, title, author, relevancy
• Translation
– Changing the Language of the Interface
– Translating an Article
Identify Search Engine
Features
• Search History
• Search Alerts/Profile
• Research Summary
– Create a Web page
• Durable Links/ Persistent Links
– Create links to articles on your Web page
– Does not violate copyright law
Identify Search Engine
Features
• Print, Email, Save, Export records
– Multiple Citation Styles
– Create bibliographies
• Linking
– Cited References search
– Related Records/Find more like this search
– Find a copy/Search for Article:
Journal Linker
• When full-text article is not available in the
current database
• Provides link to full-text in other online
indexes
• Searches Library Catalog for in-house
periodical holdings
Journal Linker
• Recently expanded to include Cited
references in eReference databases
– Searches library catalog for cited references
– Requires some tweaking
• delete initial articles and subtitles
• Provides link to Interlibrary Loan form if item
is not available
Journal Linker
Journal Linker
Journal Linker
Journal Linker
Journal Linker
Journal Linker
Journal Linker
Journal Linker
Journal Linker
Journal Linker
Journal Linker - Interlibrary Loan
Check Library
Catalog or
Periodical
Holdings
before ordering
ILL to be sure
TMC does not
have the item
needed.
Interlibrary Loan
Efficient and Effective Online
Searching
• Selecting appropriate databases and
indexes
• Identifying search engine features
ERIC - FirstSearch
ERIC
ERIC - FirstSearch
ERIC - FirstSearch



ERIC - FirstSearch
ERIC - FirstSearch
FirstSearch - ILL
Interlibrary Loan
Check Library Catalog or Periodical Holdings before
ordering ILL to be sure TMC does not have the item
needed.
Before requesting ILL …
• Check TMC Holdings through
– Link to Full text; Search for article;
•
•
•
•
FirstSearch (ATLA, ERIC, Arts & Humanities Index, etc.)
EBSCOhost (Academic Search, Business Source, etc.)
ProQuest (Research Library, Religion, Dissertations, etc.)
CSA Illumina (Philosopher’s Index)
– Periodical Holdings Web page
•
•
•
•
Print citations
Christian Periodical Index (CPI) (until Sept. ‘08)
Guide to Social Science & Religion (GSSR)
Religious & Theological Abstracts (R&TA)
– Library Catalog
Devise Search Query
• Know Database Content
• Consider relationship of search terms
within the database
• Consider relationship of terms to each
other
• Apply Boolean Logic and other Limiting
options to extract needed records
Devise Search Query
• Punctuation and case ignored (e.g.
no need to put in commas, hyphenate
or capitalize terms)
• Do not search with whole sentences
– Use unique key terms or phrases
– Avoid very common terms (unless they
are part of a phrase)
Devise Search Query
• Avoid searching as keywords terms
that are very common terms for the
database being searched:
– “Bible” in theological library catalog like
TMC would be overwhelming but not so in
a public library catalog.
– “Business” as a keyword in a business
database
– “Education” as a keyword in an education
database
Devise Search Query
• The larger the database the narrower the
search query (ERIC, A&H Citation Index;
Google)
• The smaller the database the broader the
search query (Primary Search; EBSCO
Animals)
• Consider the content of the database in
relation to its size
• ATLA viz a viz CPI
• TMC Library Catalog viz a viz WorldCat
Devising an efficient search
query
• Subject Specific databases
– Limited terms
– Unique terms
– Balance broader search terms with
narrower field selections and additional
unique terms
Devising an efficient search
query
• Interdisciplinary Databases
– Multiple terms
– Unique terminology relative to database
content
Evaluate Results
• Kind of records retrieved
– How well do they meet the information
need?
• Examine search query syntax
– Parenthetical operations performed first
– Priority of operations
• Number of hits
• Meaning of the search terms used
Adjust Search Query As
Needed
• Broaden/Narrow Search
– Change Boolean operations
– Should one or more of the terms be truncated
– Change the position of terms within the
search query
– Change field selections
– Change limiting options
• Change terminology
Online Searching - Titles
• Pull keywords from Title and search as “all of th
– Use the Title from the title page not the cover of the
• Cover title: Then and Now Bible Maps – won’t find
• Title page: Then and Now Bible Map Book – will find
– Familiar titles may not be accurate titles
• Don’t search with Subtitles
– unless necessary to narrow search (e.g. Works); b
• Do not search using forms of address or academic cred
• Use last name only (especially when searching Authors)
– Unless it is very common, then add first initial
• adams j
– If this is still very common, then use the whole first name
• adams jay
• Do not search [first name last name] as an Author
– Search [first name last name] as a phrase using Keyword A
Online Searching
• ? = truncation command
– aka “Wildcard”
– Means “to cut off”
– Search engine commanded to find root word and
all right ended variables
• puritan? = puritan, puritanic, puritanical,
puritanicalism, puritanism, puritanisme, puritanize,
puritanized, puritanizing, puritanizer, puritanizers,
puritanizes, puritans, puritant
– Very useful command for expanding a search
concept
– Other Wildcards include: * !
Online Searching Tips
NOTE: Words that work best with ? are
those that are unique in their truncated
form.
For example, if you search for sin?
thinking that you will find sins, sinful, or
sinner.
Your results will also include since,
sincere, single and so on.
Recognize Citation Types
• Journal article will have two titles: an
Article Title followed by a Journal Title
(usually abbreviated); volume and issue
numbers often included
• Book will have a City and Publisher
• Dissertation or thesis will say “dissertation”
or “thesis” respectively
• Online sources will have URL
Reference Services
• “Ask-A-Librarian” on the library Web site
under Library Services
• Contact Miss. T. :
– 661-362-2201
– Hours: M-R 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.;
7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.;
F 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
• No special grace given to those who insist
on working alone
Get More Help
• The following are additional sources of
information to help with your research.
• All are available in the library or on the
library Web site
– www.masters.edu/library
Books
• Badke, William. “Research Strategies”. 2nd
ed. iUniverse, 2004. ISBN: 0-595-31371-X
– http://www.acts.twu.ca/lbr/textbook.htm
• Booth, Wayne. “The Craft of Research”. 2nd
ed. Chicago : University of Chicago Press,
2003. ISBN: 0-226-06568-5
• Turabian, Kate L. “A Manual for Writers of
Research Papers, Theses, and
dissertations”. Univ. of Chicago, 7th ed.
2007. ISBN: 978-0-226-82337-9
Tutorials
• Bibliographic Research: Using the library
• a brief introduction to using the library for
conducting Bibliographic Research
• Bibliographic Research: Online Searching
• information on identifying and navigating
databases as well as detailed instruction on
applying Boolean Logic in an online environment.