How Do I...?

Learn about UC Libraries | Connect to Library Resources | Start Research on a Topic | Choose a Database | Search Effectively | Find Books | Find Journals and Articles | Find Primary Sources | Search the Web | Understand Types of Sources | Evaluate Information Sources | Use Information Ethically and Legally

Learn about UC Libraries play button Top 10 Reasons to Visit UC Libraries. Flash (1:57 min.)
Connect to Library Resources play UC video Connect to Library Resources Off-Campus
Start Research on a Topic

link to text file Choose a Topic  

link to text file Guide to Conducting Literary Research (from the Gale Literary Resource Center database)

link to text file Guide to Literary Research, Writing and Critical Reading. (from the EBSCO Literary Reference Center database)
Choose the Right Database

link to text file How to Choose a Database (tips from OhioLINK)

How Do I  How to Choose a Subject Database (1:44 min.)

link to text file Suggested Databases for General Research Topics

magnifying glass Right Tools at a Glance (PDF)
Search for Information Effectively

play button Searching Effectively Using AND, OR, NOT (Colorado State University Libraries). Flash; 2-3 min.

play button Searching Effectively Using Truncation (Colorado State University Libraries). Flash; 2-3 min.

magnifying glass Right Search: AND, OR, NOT, * at a Glance (PDF)

play button Advanced Boolean Searching (Colorado State University Libraries). Flash; 2-3 min.

magnifying glass Right Search: Using Parentheses and Quotation Marks at a Glance

link to text file Tips for Online Searching

magnifying glass Right Terms at a Glance (PDF)

Find Books

 play UC video  How to Find a Book (1:24 min).

play UC video Mission Possible: Locating a Book

link to text file How to Find Books

link to text file How call numbers work (PDF)

link to text file Library location codes (PDF)

link to text file Langsam Library call number locator (PDF)

play UC video  Looking for Textbooks? (1:24 min)

Find Journals and Articles

play UC video How to Find an Electronic Journal. (1:49 min).

play UC video  How to Find Articles (2:32 min).

link to text file How to Find Articles

link to text file How to Find Popular Articles (tips from OhioLINK)

link to text file How to Find Scholarly Articles (tips from OhioLINK)

link to text file How to Locate Electronic Article Full Text ( UC ArticleLinker Help/FAQ)

Find Primary Sources link to text file Finding Historical Primary Sources (from UC Berkeley)
Search the Web

play button Searching with Success! (Vaughan Memorial Library). Flash; time:10 minutes

play button Web Search Strategies in Plain English (a 3-minute video by CommonCraft.com).

Understand Types of Information Sources

play buttonResearch Minutes: How to Identify Scholarly Journal Articles (a 90-second video by the Cornell University Library).

play button Research Minutes: How to Identify Substantive News Articles (a 90-second video by the Cornell University Library).

link to text file Libraries vs. the Internet (PDF)

link to text file Journals: Popular vs. Scholarly (PDF)

How Do I How to Identify Academic Journals

Evaluate Information Sources

play button Credible Sources Count! (Vaughan Memorial Library). Flash; 10 min.

link to text file Critically Analyzing Information Sources (from Cornell University Library)

link to text file Evaluating Web Content (from University at Albany, SUNY)

link to text file Web Site Evaluation Rubric (PDF)
Use Information Ethically and Legally

play button Plagiarism (fun videos and an interactive quiz from Paul Robeson Library, Rutgers University)

play button You Quote It, You Note It! (Vaughan Memorial Library). Flash; 10 min.

link to text file Need Help Citing Sources?

link to text file What Is Plagiarism?