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MU Libraries: Your Connection to Knowledge

Basic Research in Ellis Library (sourcepack)

  1. Begin Here
  2. Finding your Materials
  1. Evaluating your Information
  2. Citing your Sources
  3. Plagiarism and Copyright
  4. Research Tips
  5. Help

  1. Begin at the MU Libraries Gateway. Remember that MU faculty, students, and staff can access library databases when connecting from off-campus. MU Libraries include Ellis Library (which is the main library) and several branch libraries. If you are unfamiliar with the libraries, you may explore some of them through virtual tours. You can books, articles, web sites, textbooks and browse general databases, e.g., Academic Search Premier, MasterFile Elite, etc. Here are some suggestions for specific reference works we've found to be especially helpful:

  • Test your topic and do background reading.
    Test your topic by looking it up in the MERLIN Catalog, Databases, and appropriate background sources. Encyclopedias, specialized dictionaries, textbooks, bibliographies provide overviews of topics or research problems. Read articles in encyclopedias to set the context for your research. Note bibliographies at the end of encyclopedia articles. Write out significant ideas, concepts, keywords related to your topic.

  • Develop questions to guide your search
    Examples: What are the effects of television on children? What effect does use of alcoholic beverages have on the health of college students?

  • List main terms/synonyms or concepts that describe your topic


    These terms can be used as keywords or subject headings to search various databases.

    Example: alcoholic beverages or drinking or alcoholic consumption or imbibe

  • Determine the type of information source(s) you need to answer your research question
    Each source provides a different type of information, e.g., encyclopedias and books are good for overviews of topics, journals, books and proceedings are good for scholarly research, etc.

  • Choose appropriate resources
    • Books -- provide in-depth coverage of a topic, currency varies, content varies from general discussion to detailed analysis.
      Example: The Big Boys: power and position in American business
    • Magazines -- cover popular topics and current affairs, geared to general public, very current coverage.
      Examples: Time, Newsweek, Vogue, Sports Illustrated
    • Journals -- report results of original research, case studies, statistical analysis, etc. written by and geared to specialists in the field.
      Example: Journal of Psychology
  1. Finding your Materials

    Finding Books

    • Use the Library’s online catalog, the MERLIN Catalog, to find books on your topic.
      The MERLIN Catalog provides access to over 3 million volumes.
    • You can search the MERLIN Catalog by author, title, keyword, subject, table of contents, etc.
    • To find books on your topic, search the MERLIN Catalog using:
      • Keyword or Subject searches

Keyword Search

Use the Keyword search option when you don’t know the author, title, or the Library of Congress subject heading for your topic. In a keyword search, multiple words are searched as one phrase, e.g., endangered species.Single keywords or concepts can be combined using Boolean operators (and, or, not) to broaden the search and parenthesis can be used to nest keywords.

Examples:

  • internet and commerce
  • internet or world wide web
  • environmental policy and not united states
  • (internet or world wide web) and commerce

Keyword searching is broad and flexible, but not very precise. For more precise searching, click on the Library of Congress subject headings assigned to relevant books retrieved by doing a keyword search.

Subject Search

Use the subject search when you know the Library of Congress subject heading for your topic.

Example:

  • Electronic commerce -- United States

Request books not available in MU Libraries from other MERLIN libraries, the MOBIUS Union Catalog, or by using Interlibrary Loan.
Finding Periodical Articles

Step 1: Identify articles on your topic.

The most efficient way to search for articles on your topic is to use one of the many electronic databases or print indexes. Databases and indexes contain references to articles in magazines, newspapers, and/or journals (scholarly periodicals).

General Databases (Multi-disciplinary) are good for a variety of subjects and generally serve as an excellent starting point for research. They include magazine, journal, and newspaper articles.

Examples:

Specialized or Subject-Specific Databases index articles published in the journal literature of a specific field like nursing, psychology, sociology, etc. These databases contain peer-reviewed articles and are geared to scholars in the field. For many of your classes, you may be required to use scholarly sources found in specialized databases.

Examples:

Begin your search for articles by clicking on Find a Database on the MU Libraries gateway. You can select a database(s) from the alphabetical list of databases or from the subject list of databases. The Alphabetical list of databases includes both general and specialized databases. Select a Subject area to identify databases for that subject.

If you have trouble finding the right database for your topic, consult a librarian.

Searching databases

  • Most databases default to a keyword or a basic search, i.e., they allow for individual words to be searched anywhere (text, title, source, author, etc.) in a record. A Keyword search broadens a search, allows use of any word, searches all fields, etc.
  • Subject searching in databases requires the use of controlled vocabulary unique to each database. A subject search narrows a search and searches only the subject field of a record.
  • Most databases allow you to use Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to combine terms.AND narrows a search, OR broadens a search, and NOT eliminates term(s).

Examples:

  • college and scholarships
  • colleges or universities
  • Mexico not New Mexico

Most databases allow you to limit or focus your search retrieval.Common limits used in database are:

  • By publication date
  • By language
  • By peer reviewed or scholarly journals
  • By full text
  • By publication title

Most databases allow you to truncate words.Truncation allows you to search a word stem with different endings.The truncation symbols (e.g., * $ # + !, etc.) vary from database to database. Consult the help feature in a database to determine the truncation symbol for the database.

Example:

  • politic* would retrieve political, politician(s), politicking, politically, politics, etc.

Some databases are completely full-text or have some full-text articles. Full-text indicates that the complete journal or magazine article is in the database.

  • Most databases allow you to mark selected articles so that you can print, download, or e-mail your selected articles.
  • Most databases have the help feature. It is a good idea to read the help screens before beginning a search.

Step 2: Locate periodical articles in MU Libraries.

The MU Libraries have periodicals in print, on microfilm, and in electronic format. Current periodicals at MU are shelved alphabetically by their title in Current Periodicals Reading Room (CPRR, 1st Floor West, Ellis Library) and older periodicals are shelved with the books in library stacks by their call number.

  • Go to the MU Libraries gateway and click on Electronic journals to find out if a periodical title is available electronically.
  • If not available electronically, go to the MU Libraries gateway and click on the MERLIN Catalog to find periodicals owned by MU Libraries. Click on “Journal, Magazine, and Newspaper Titles” search option.
  • Type the exact name of the periodical title.
  • Look at the periodical record.
  • Look at the “LIB HAS” heading to find out if the library has the volume of the periodical you are looking for.
  • Identify the location and call number of the periodical.
  • Next use the Location Guide to find the floor location of the periodical.

How can you tell if the article is from a popular magazine or a scholarly journal?
Finding Web Resources
  • Use Internet Search Engines (Cornell University)and Subject Directories/Portals (Cornell University) to locate information on the web.
  • Be choosy about resources you find on the Internet. Quality and validity are not assured when anyone can publish anything, anytime, without the benefit of scholarly peer review.
  1. Evaluating your information
  1. Citing your sources
  1. Plagiarism and Copyright
  1. Research Tips
  • WORK FROM THE GENERAL TO THE SPECIFIC.
    • Find background information first, then use more specific and recent sources.

  • RECORD WHAT YOU FIND AND WHERE YOU FOUND IT.
    • Write out a complete citation for each source you find; you may need it again later.

  • TRANSLATE YOUR TOPIC INTO THE SUBJECT LANGUAGE OF THE DATABASES AND CATALOGS YOU USE.
    • Check your topic words against a thesaurus or subject heading list.
  1. Help
  • Need help clarifying your topic?
  • Need help narrowing your topic?
  • Need help finding an appropriate database?
  • Need ideas about where to look next?
  • Want to be sure you're using a reference source effectively?

Ask a Librarian

  • Reference Librarians are located at the Reference Desk, 1st Floor South, Ellis Library

Ask your instructor

  • Clarify the assignment
  • Help you understand the assignment
  • Recommend resources

Ask for HELP whenever you need it!