First Year Seminar - The Edge of Knowledge
Dr. Paul Edmiston
Information Resources Compiled by Donna Jacobs
Developing Your Search Strategy | Library Catalogs | Organization of Library Materials
Finding Citations to Articles in Periodicals | Newspaper Indexes | Understanding Citations
Do We Have That Journal? | Borrowing Materials from Other Libraries
Web Resources | Evaluating Information | Ethical Use of Information
An important factor in your academic and professional success will be how well you develop the ability to determine when you need information, and to locate, evaluate, and use it effectively. One goal of this research assignment is to help you begin to strengthen your information literacy skills. This web page and the in-class library instruction session will:
- provide suggestions for developing a search strategy;
- suggest specific reference sources and general browsing strategies to use as a starting point;
- introduce you to techniques for using important tools such as library catalogs, research databases and the World Wide Web;
- show you how to locate the books, periodicals, and other references you retrieve in your search of catalogs and databases;
- give you advice on how to evaluate the quality of the information you gather;
- discuss the importance of the ethical use of information.
Remember—The primary goal of the library staff is to help you to develop the skills needed to locate, evaluate, and use information effectively. If you have questions, ask for assistance at one of the staffed service points in the library or contact a librarian by telephone or e-mail.
Selecting Your Search Topic
Before you can begin searching for information, it is important to define your research topic. Take the time to write down a sentence or two in which you state your topic as specifically as possible, including the aspects of the topic that you wish to investigate. Remember, this is just the starting point. You will continue to refine your topic as you locate relevant information.
For example, if your research paper on the impact of knowledge on worldview, you might begin with the following search topic:
| Locate information on human understanding of the cosmos during the 16th century. |
Finding Background Information
Before researching a topic in depth, it is useful to read some background information of the kind found in encyclopedias and dictionaries. These sources are helpful in placing the topic in a broader context and providing related subjects and terms to use as you continue your search. Some reference sources that might be useful for your topic are listed below.
| Title | Location/Call Number |
| Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy | Ref B51 .R68 1998 v.1-10 |
| Encyclopedia of Religion | Ref BL31 .E46 2005 v.1-15 |
| The Timetables of History: A Horizontal Linkage of People and Events | Ref D11 .G78 |
| Chronology of World History | Ref D11 .M39 1999 v.1-4 |
| The Illustrated History of the World | Ref D23 .R63 1999 v.1-10 |
| Day by Day: The Seventies | Ref D840 .L4 1988 v.1-2 |
| Day by Day: The Sixties | Ref D840 .P27 1983 v.1-2 |
| Day by Day: The Eighties | Ref D848 .M45 1995 v.1-2 |
| Day by Day: The Nineties | Ref D856 .A93 2004 v.1-2 |
| McGraw Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology | Science
Ref Q121 .M3 2002 v.1-20 and online Access Science |
| Encyclopaedia of the History of Science,
Technology and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures |
Science Ref Q124.8 .E53 1997 |
| Asimov’s Chronology of Science and Discovery | Science Ref Q125 .A765 1989 |
| Dictionary of the History of Science | Science Ref Q125 .D45 |
| The Timetables of Science | Science Ref Q125 .H557 1991 |
| The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science | Science Ref Q125 .O86 2003 |
| The History of Science in the United States | Science Ref Q127 .U6 H57 2001 |
| Dictionary of Scientific Biography | Science Ref Q141 .D5 v.1-18 |
| Notable Twentieth-Century Scientists | Science Ref Q141 .N73 1995 v.1-5 |
| The Almanac of Science and Technology | Science Ref Q158.5 .A47 1990 |
| The Henry Holt Handbook of Current Science and Technology | Science Ref Q158.5 .B86 1992 |
| The New York Public Library Science Desk Reference | Science Ref Q173 .B25 1995 |
| Scientific American Science Desk Reference | Science Ref Q173 .S427 1999 |
| The Cambridge Illustrated History of Astronomy | Science Ref QB15 .C36 1997 |
| History of Astronomy: An Encyclopedia | Science Ref QB15 .H624 1997 |
| The Chronological Encyclopedia of Discoveries in Space | Science Ref QB500.262 .Z56 2000 |
| Encyclopedia of Bioethics | Science Ref QH332 .E52 2004 v.1-5 |
| The Cambridge World History of Human Disease | Science Ref R131 .C233 1993 |
| Companion Encyclopedia of the History of Medicine | Science Ref R133 .C6 1993 v.1-2 |
| Encyclopedia of Modern Everyday Inventions | Science Ref T20 .C56 2003 |
| Biographical Dictionary of the History of Technology | Science Ref T39 .B49 1996 |
| The Concise Encyclopedia of the Ethics
of New Technologies
|
Science Ref TP248.23 .C664 2001 |
| Wikipedia According to information posted on its Web site, “Wikipedia is first and foremost an online encyclopedia and, as a means to that end, an online community of people interested in building a high-quality encyclopedia in a spirit of mutual respect.” Anyone can contribute a new article, or edit an existing article. The online encyclopedia contains information on almost any topic. It is updated immediately so that the information is very current. Caution! Wikipedia’s strength is also its weakness. Because anyone can edit almost any page, it is essential that users confirm information in other sources to ensure reliability. |
Possible Keywords
As you consult various reference sources, you will find keywords and concepts that are relevant to your topic. It is a good idea to keep a list of keywords to search in other reference sources, library catalogs and databases. Remember, you will probably continue to refine your search topic as you locate more information. You will add new terms and delete other terms as you continue your research.
Some of the following concepts and keywords might be helpful as you search for information about human understanding of the cosmos during the 16th century.
| Dates/Periods | Astronomy/Cosmology | People | Science and Religion |
Sixteenth
century 16th century Renaissance Scientific Revolution |
parallax supernova heliocentric theory |
Nicholas
Copernicus Tycho Brahe |
Protestant
Reformation Inquisition Catholic Church |
Developing Your Search Strategy
Once you have consulted reference sources for background information and developed a list of concepts and keywords, you are ready to search some of the tools that will provide access to books, magazine and journal articles and other documents relevant to your topic. Because most of these tools are available electronically, it is tempting to type a few words into a database without thinking about how the terms are related to each other. You can save time and improve your retrieval by taking a few minutes to develop a search strategy that combines terms logically and takes advantage of the search features provided in the database your are using. Search Strategies and Techniques provides tips and techniques for designing and implementing search strategies.
Library Catalogs
Library catalogs contain listings of the materials owned by (or accessible from) their respective libraries. Materials listed in library catalogs include books, government publications, electronic resources, scores and recordings, media, and periodical titles (but not the articles contained in the periodical). Library catalogs also provide information about locations of materials and current availability.
The CONSORT catalog includes the merged catalogs of the College of Wooster, Denison University, Kenyon College, and Ohio Wesleyan University. You can search the merged catalog or the individual catalog of one of the CONSORT colleges and access the OhioLINK catalog.
OhioLINK is a consortium of more than 80 Ohio academic libraries, including Ohio State University, Kent State University, Cleveland State University, and Case Western Reserve University. The OhioLINK Central catalog is the database of all books and other materials owned by all the OhioLINK member libraries.
See Searching Library Catalogs for a brief summary of the contents and search capabilities of the CONSORT and OhioLINK catalogs.
Organization of Library Materials
As you locate relevant reference sources and books by using the library catalog, you may find that books shelved nearby also contain useful information. That is because most of the materials in the library are arranged by subject according to the Library of Congress Classification System. See Organization of Library Materials in the Guide to Library Research in Science for more information about library classification systems, reading call numbers and physical locations of materials in the College of Wooster libraries. Some of the call number ranges that contain materials that may be relevant to your topic are listed below.
Library of Congress Classification
| Classification | Contents |
| B 1-5802 |
Philosophy. Psychology.
Religion Philosophy (General) |
| BJ | Ethics |
| BL 1-50 175-265 239-265 |
Religion. Mythology. Rationalism Religion (General) Natural theology Religion and science |
| BM | Judaism |
| BP | Islam |
| BR | Christianity |
| CB 478 |
History of Civilization Technology and civilization. Science and civilization |
| CT | Biography |
| D | History (general) and History of Europe |
| E-F | History: America |
| HN 30-39 |
Social history and conditions.
Social problems. Social reform The church and social problems |
| Q 124.6-127 141-143 |
Science (General) History Biography |
| QA | Mathematics |
| QB 15-34 35-36 |
Astronomy History Biography |
| QC | Physics |
| QD | Chemistry |
| QE | Geology |
| QH 359-425 426-470 471-489 540-549.5 |
Natural History (General). Biology (General) Evolution Genetics Reproduction Ecology |
| QK | Botany |
| QL | Zoology |
| QM 11 16 |
Human Anatomy History Biography |
| QP | Physiology |
| QR | Microbiology |
| R 131-687 702-703 |
Medicine (General) History Medicine and the humanities. Medicine and disease in relation to history, literature, etc. |
| T 14.7-35 39-40 |
Technology (General) History Biography |
Finding Citations to Articles in Periodicals
To gain access to information in periodicals, you will need to become familiar with periodical indexes and abstracts. By looking up your topic in a relevant periodical index, you can determine what articles have been written and find complete bibliographic citations to those articles. In addition to the bibliographic citation, abstracts provide a brief summary of the article cited. Most periodical indexes are available as electronic databases. A complete list of the databases available at the College can be found on the Databases by Title page. The following are a few databases that will be helpful for your assignment.
Selected Periodical Indexes
| General Interdisciplinary Databases
Academic
Search Complete [EBSCOhost] ArticleFirst [FirstSearch] Readers’ Guide
Retrospective [H.W. Wilson] Web
of Science [ISI] Science Databases MEDLINE [OSearch] (1953-65),
(1966- )
and (2002- ) MEDLINE [EBSCOhost] (1950- ) History Databases America:
History and Life [OSearch] Historical
Abstracts [OSearch] History
of Science, Technology and Medicine [RLG Eureka] Religion Databases Religion
and Philosophy Collection [EBSCOhost] |
Newspaper Indexes
Newspaper indexes provide access to articles in newspapers, and are especially useful for finding information on current events. The College of Wooster Libraries subscribe to several print newspaper indexes, which are located in the Index Reference section of Gault Library. In addition, online access to many newspaper indexes and full text access to newspaper articles is available through the Databases by Title page. Current issues of print newspapers are shelved on Level 2 of Andrews Library. Back issues are stored on microfilm or microfiche. For a more detailed list of research links related to news, see the News Sources page.
Google
News Archive Search LexisNexis
Academic [LexisNexis] Newspaper
Source [EBSCOhost] |
Understanding Citations
Print and electronic bibliographic databases or bibliographies from books or periodical articles will provide references to many types of literature on your topic. It is sometimes difficult to tell whether a citation refers you to a book, a book chapter, a periodical article, or some other type of document. See the Understanding Citations lesson of the Information Literacy Tutorial for guidance with regard to deciphering citations found in bibliographies and databases.
Do We Have That Journal?
After you have retrieved citations to relevant articles from print and electronic databases, you will need to determine whether the journals are available at Wooster and how to access them. The College of Wooster libraries provide access to more than 35,000 electronic journals, in addition to our print and microform journal collections, through our databases, subscriptions, and aggregated collections from OhioLINK EJC, EBSCOhost, and JSTOR among others. You can use the search engine on the Wooster eJournals and Journals page to:
- search for an individual title or ISSN;
- browse an alphabetical listing of available titles;
- browse by subject category.
Borrowing Materials from Other Libraries
One of the advantages of membership in the CONSORT and OhioLINK consortia is that College of Wooster students have access to the resources of many academic libraries, large and small, in the state of Ohio. And, if the materials you need cannot be found in Ohio, we can usually retrieve them from outside the state. To learn how to borrow materials from other libraries, see Interlibrary Loan. See also Borrowing from Other Libraries at the Timken Science Library web site.
Web Resources
Throughout this Web page we have used the Internet to access a wide variety of databases and reference sources. For the most part, these electronic resources have been evaluated and selected by librarians for addition to our collection in the same way that print materials are selected. It is important to note that The College of Wooster library purchases access to these products, just as it purchases the books on the shelves.
In addition to these carefully selected electronic resources, there is an almost unlimited quantity of information available on the World Wide Web. Some of the Web sources are excellent — authoritative, accurate, reliable, objective and current. Other Web sources are less useful, for one or more reasons. See Searching the World Wide Web for detailed information about web directories and search engines and hints for evaluating information found on the Web.
You may want to use the following Web resources to find information on your topic.
Google
Scholar Internet
History of Science Sourcebook ECHO:
Exploring and Collecting History Online Research
Center |
Evaluating Information
Critical evaluation of information is an essential part of the research process. Whether the source of your information is a print reference or a web site, it is important to evaluate the information for accuracy, authority, timeliness, coverage, and objectivity. Although print publications are usually subjected to pre-publication evaluation by editors, publishers, and peer reviewers, they still may contain inaccuracies and may reflect the bias of individuals responsible for their creation. Likewise, documents appearing on many web sites also undergo rigorous evaluation before they are launched. However, the openness of the web environment makes it possible for almost anyone to publish information without the quality control that is part of print environment. Therefore, it is important to think about the reliability of the information you retrieve, no matter what the format. See Evaluating Information for help in assessing the reliability of information from both print and web resources.
Ethical Use of Information
Research is usually a cumulative process in which today’s researcher builds upon the work of those who have come before. While all scholars hope that their work will provide a useful foundation for the research of others, it is important to remember that when you use the ideas of others, you must credit your sources.
The College’s understanding and expectations in regard to issues of academic honesty are fully articulated in the Code of Academic Integrity as published in The Scot’s Key and form an essential part of the implicit contract between the student and the College. The Code provides a framework at Wooster to help students develop their own personal integrity.
While you are a student at this college, you will be treated as an adult. You are expected to know and abide by the rules of the institution as described in The Scot’s Key and The Handbook of Selected College Policies. Particular attention should be directed to the appropriate use of materials available on-line through the Internet. It is important that you read and understand the Ethical Use of Information tutorial found on the libraries’ web site. Whether intentional or not, improper use of materials can be considered a violation of academic honesty.
A few of the resources that will provide assistance in all stages of a writing assignment are listed below.
| Title | Location/Call Number |
| The Columbia Guide to Online Style | Science Ref PN171 .F56 W35 2006 c.2 |
| MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers | Ready Ref LB2369 .G53 2003 |
| A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations (Turabian) | Ready Ref LB2369 .T8 1996 |
| A Writer’s Reference (Hacker) | Ready
Ref PE1408 .H2778 2003 Science Ref PE1408 .H2778 2003 |
| College of Wooster Libraries Writers’ Guide |
Don’t Forget: The information presented in your in-class library instruction session and in this web page are intended as an introduction to library research. As you begin to gather and evaluate information for your research paper, you will probably have questions about research methods or resources that have not been covered in class or in this web page. If you have any questions, ask a librarian for help.
