Using A Writer’s Reference for Research Assistance
(Sect. A, pp. 78-94; Sect. R, pp. 329-368; Sect. MLA, pp. 369-440)
Directed Research (Sections A & R):
*Analyzing the Assignment Constructing Arguments (Sect. A2, pp. 78-91)
*Composing Good Research Questions (Sect. R1-a, pp. 332-334)
*Research Strategy (Sect. R1-b, pp. 334-335)
*Creating an Annotated Bibliography (Sect. R3-a & b, pp. 358-359)
Searching the Databases and for Books (Sect. R1-b-g):
Enjoy the “walk-through” on pp. 334-346
Databases by Discipline (Sect. R1-c, pp. 336-339):
*Humanities: JSTOR, EBSCOhost Electronic Journals, Project Muse, Academic Search Premier, MLA
*Social Sciences: EBSCOhost Electronic Journals, JSTOR, ERIC, PsycINFO, GDCS, ProQuest
*Natural Sciences: EBSCOhost Electronic Journals, JSTOR
*Business: EBSCOhost Electronic Journals, ProQuest, Business Source Complete
*Statistics and Social Arguments: Opposing Viewpoints
*Law: LexisNexis; Opposing Viewpoints
*Education: ERIC, MLA, EBSCOhost Electronic Journals
*Health: PsycINFO, PubMed, EBSCOhost Electronic Journals
Authoritative Online Sources (Sect. R1-e):
*Responsible Internet Searching: Understanding your search engine (p. 342)
*Gov’t Sources: Library of Congress, Census Bureau, USDA, FDA, etc. (pp. 343-344)
*Reputable News Sources: New York Times, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, etc. (pp. 343-344)
Evaluating Sources (Sect. R2):
*Evaluating the Dependability of Web Sources (pp. 349-350)
*Asking Questions of ALL Source Material (Sect. R2-a &b, pp. 346-348)
*Evaluating Articles: currency and appropriateness (p. 348)
Using Field Research (Sect. R1-g, p. 346):
*Observations: preparation, purpose, appropriateness, personal bias
*Interviews: composition of questions, conduction, asking the right people
*Surveys: composition of questions, sampling, questionnaire vs. interview
*Data Analysis: making critical sense of surveys, interviews, and observations
Citing Visuals:
* In-text (p. 439) and Works Cited (p. 440)
*Chart, Table, or Graphic in-text (p. 88) and Works Cited (p. 91)
General Citation Help (Sect. MLA):
*MLA Citation Section (pp. 389-428) with a sample essay in MLA format (pp. 435-440)
*In-text Citations (Sect. MLA2 &3, pp. 376-378)
*Works Cited Citations (Sect. MLA4, pp. 389-428)
Books (pp. 404-411)
Periodicals: journals, magazines, newspapers, reprints (pp. 401-404)
Electronic Sources: websites, online books, email (pp. 412-424)
Other Sources: legal documents, maps, photos, gov’t pubs (pp. 424-428)
Library Resources for Writing 6A and Beyond
At the University of Kentucky, there 9 main libraries, including the $58 million W.T. Young Library.
UK’s library collection, in quality and scope, is second only to Harvard, with over 4 million volumes
and uncounted millions of electronic subscriptions.
Basic Navigation: Getting your Bearings
Enter the main UK Library site: http://libraries.uky.edu
Note the most useful search options:
1. Books+: these are physical volumes on the shelves (choose “University of Kentucky Libraries”
from the dropdown menu – or you will search all libraries in the world-wide system)
2. Articles: this searchs a BIG database, Academic Search Premier; good for broad searches
3. E-Journals: these are electronic, full text journals; choose this is you already know the journal
title you’re looking for (this will not often be the case)
4. Databases: these search electronic journals and other electronic archives, including audio and
visual resources
5. Research Guides: this tab, on the upper menu bar, is best for exploring the many resources on
your own; try keywords to get started (type in “Education in China” for instance)
Useful Databases:
a. EBSCOhost Electronic Journals Service: full-text journals from many disciplines
b. ERIC: full-text journals concerning schools, education, and pedagogy
c. JStor: full-text journals from humanities and social science disciplines
d. Opposing Viewpoints (Gale): searchable database for popular opinion sources
e. Academic Search Premier: a BIG database; a good place to start with many options
f. Business Source Complete: full-text business and economics journals
Important Terms for Library Research
Keyword: a word related to your topic that you can use to find useful information
Call-number: the combination of letters and numbers that you need to locate a book
The Stacks: where the books are located; the shelves
Database: locations on the library website where you can search for journal articles
Catalog: place on the library website where you can search for books, articles, and other
sources
Periodical: a journal, newspaper, or magazine; a source that is published multiple times during
a period – usually a year
Circulation Desk: where you go to check out a book (1st floor)
Reference Desk: where you go to ask for help as you search for sources (2nd floor; 9-9 M-R)