How can I find articles?
The best way is to check the Library's subscription databases. The
LCC Library
subscribes to over 100 research databases. Many of these allow you to search for
magazine, journal and newspaper articles. The full text of articles is available
in many databases. For more information on finding articles, see
Need Help Finding Articles?.
The Library does not check out audiovisual equipment. However, AV Services checks
out audiovisual equipment to LCC employees. For details, call AV services at
517.483.1715 or visit the
AV Services webpage.
The best way is to check the library catalog. These
days you can find books both in print and electronic format. For
step by step instructions on
finding books, see
Need
Help Finding Books?.
The parentheses are used in Boolean searching to indicate when a separate
search should be processed. Sort of like math. For example if I am looking for
articles about eating disorders and children or teens I would enter my search
like this:
"eating disorders" AND (children OR teens)
The computer will look for the phrase "eating disorders" and find a number of
hits. Then the computer searches for the word children in an article OR
the word
teens -- the OR searches for either one of the words or for both
words! Once the computer has found
hits for children or teens then it combines it with the number of hits for
"eating disorders".
Think of it like a math problem:
2 + (2 x 4) = 10
2 + 2 x 4 = 16
Two different results. In the first example the computer processes the search
inside the parentheses then combines it with the other parts of the search. In
the second example the computer processes the search just like it is entered,
from left to right.
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Here are a couple of ways to link to information on how to
cite electronic resources using APA or MLA format:
Citing Sources Guide. Citing Sources: MLA and APA
shows how to cite print, online, and media sources in MLA and APA style with sections
on both in-text citation and creating a Works Cited or References list.
Internet Bookmark Collection. The library provides
links to a number of World Wide Web sites that provide information and examples
of how to document online sources. Click here to
access the library's "Style Guides" bookmark.
Research Guides. The electronic versions of many of
the library's research guides, including how to cite electronic sources for APA
and MLA, are available on the library's website.
Click here and scroll to "APA Reference Lists: Electronic Sources" or
"MLA Style Sheet: Online Databases & the World Wide Web." These guides
are also available in print at the library.
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Please read information about
LCC Library's materials
delivery service.
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One way to find credible online sources is to use the library's
research databases. The library subscribes to over 100 online databases and
makes them available via the library's website. Many of these databases provide
magazine, newspaper and journal articles that have been previously published in
print.
The articles you find in the databases are considered
credible and reliable because the articles go through an editorial and
fact-checking process before they are published. Publishers of magazines,
newspapers and journals publish information that is written by qualified or
credentialed authors, and employ editing staff who check the articles for
accuracy.
To get started, click
here to access the InfoTrac OneFile research database. If you are off
campus you will need to enter your LCC TUID and password. You may also click
here to access the research databases by subject.
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You can access hundreds of eAudiobooks through the LCC
Library Catalog when searching
by author, title, subject, or keyword. For more information, see eAudiobooks.
This symbol repesents eAudiobooks in the library catalog.
From the Advanced Search tab, you can limit your search by format
to eAudiobooks. Once you find an eAudiobook, you can play it or
check it out and download it to your computer.
This gives you access to the eAudiobook for 21 days.
You can check out up to 10 eAudiobooks at a time.
To check out an eAudiobook, you need to create a free account.
The Library's website has directions for doing this at:
http://www.lcc.edu/library/off-campus-class-services/netLib.htm
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You can access thousands of electronic books through the
LCC Library catalog and research databases. For more information, visit
http://www.lcc.edu/library/off-campus-class-services/electronic-books.htm.
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Here are some options for obtaining full-text
articles:
Serials Solutions. Check the
Serials Solutions database to
determine if any of the library's research databases
provide full-text articles for the magazine, newspaper or journal you need. The
Serials Solutions database will link you directly to the database(s) that
have full-text electronic journals. You may access this database by using the
"Find Articles" link or
"Databases" link on the
library's homepage, or by clicking
here.
Library Catalog. Check the library catalog to see if the library
subscribes to the print or microfilm for the magazine, newspaper or journal you
need. If the library has the periodical subscription in print or microfilm you
will need to visit the library for the article. The
catalog may also link you to one of the research databases that provides online
access to the periodical. You may access the library catalog by using the
"Catalog" link on the
library's homepage, or by clicking
here.
Area Libraries. Check the library catalogs of other libraries to see if
any of those libraries subscribe to the magazine,
newspaper or journal you need. You may access the catalogs of Lansing-area or
other Michigan libraries by using the "Other Libraries"
link on the library's homepage, or by clicking
here.
Interlibrary Loan. Request an interlibrary loan when the article you need
is not available electronically or locally. The library staff will borrow or
obtain a copy of the article you need for you. This service is available to LCC
affiliated users. You may access the request form by clicking on the
"Find Articles" link on the
library's homepage and then by clicking on the
"Interlibrary Loan" link. To
go directly to the interlibrary loan page click
here.
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The tips below are general search features
that apply to many search engines. Reading the search
engine's Help section will
tell you what features that particular site uses.
-
Read and use Help information. This part of the search engine will
describe search features and how to apply them.
-
Use phrase searching. Put phrases in double quotes:
"Lansing Lugnuts" retrieves documents including this phrase
Lansing Lugnuts may retrieve documents with the word Lansing or the word Lugnuts
-
Use wildcards Add an asterisk (*) after
at least the first three letters of a word to retrieve sites including any
words beginning with those letters. Use a wildcard to retrieve both singular
and plural forms of a word or when you aren't sure how to spell a word:
Mackina* retrieves both Mackinac and Mackinaw
-
Use "include" and "exclude" commands. A plus (+) sign in front of a
word indicates the word must appear in all sites retrieved. A minus (-) sign
indicates the word must not appear in any site.
+Mackinac +Mackinaw retrieves documents including both words
+Mackinac -Mackinaw retrieves documents including Mackinac but not
Mackinaw
-
Use logical (Boolean) operators In AltaVista, use these in Advanced
Searches. Logical operators are certain words that can be used to indicate
inclusion, exclusion, or word proximity. Some common logical operators are OR,
AND, and AND NOT.
cats or dogs retrieves documents containing the word cats or the word dogs
cats and dogs retrieves documents containing both words
pets not dogs retrieves documents including the word pets but not the word dogs
-
Limit by domain in an Internet address or
URL, the domain is an indication of the type of website. Some common domains are
edu (education), com (commercial), gov (government) and org (nonprofit
organization).
domain:edu +cancer retrieves cancer information provided by educational
institutions
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How can I access a practice GED test?:
Practice GED
tests are available through one of our research databases called LearnATest.
To access LearnATest:
-
Go to the Library's website at
www.lcc.edu/library
-
Click on
Databases (near upper left corner)
-
Click on the letter
"L"
(for Learn a Test)
-
Click on the link for
LearnATest. If you are
off campus, a screen will prompt
you for your LCC Tech User ID and password.
Enter your Tech User ID and password and click on Submit
Query. If you do not know your Tech User ID and have
not assigned yourself a
password, see directions at http://www.lcc.edu/helpdesk/tuid/index.htm.
-
The next screen that comes up will be the LearnATest database.
-
Under
"Please Sign In"
click on New User
-
Assign yourself a
Username and Password. LearnATest requires this so
that you can take the test and get the results privately. It
is like setting up
your own account, but there is no charge.
-
Once you
have signed up, click on Continue.
-
Click on
Continue again.
-
You
will see a list of subjects arranged by topic. Find GED and click
on the link.
-
You will next
see a list of GED tests to choose from.
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For a quick tutorial on how to navigate your Angel course
site:
-
Go to the Angel login page at
http://angel.lcc.edu
-
Click on Help.
The Angel Student Quickstart Guide will display.
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How to access LCC Library's research
databases:
-
Go to the Library's website at
www.lcc.edu/library
-
Click on Databases.
-
Use the Subjects dropdown menu to sort
databases by subject or use the alphabetical list to
select particular databases.
-
Click on the title of the database you want.
-
If you are off
campus a screen will prompt you for your Tech user ID and password. Enter your TUID and password.
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How do I choose a research database to find articles about my topic?
Watch this brief tutorial (2 min 30 sec; 2.8 MB)
or follow the instructions below:
Go to the Research Databases. -
Use the
Subjects drop-down
menu
-
Select a subject category
When you use the Subjects menu,
you get a list of broad subject categories. Click on a category that is
related to your topic. There might be more than one relevant category. If
you don't know which category to choose, click on General. The General
category lists databases that cover a wide range of topics. Each subject
category lists LCC Library's databases that relate to that subject. The list
includes the main subject of the database, description of its content and
additional notes. (rev 05/04/07)
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What are specialized sources?
Students enrolled in LCC writing courses are often required
to use specialized sources for their essays. One type of source that can
be considered "specialized" is an academic / scholarly / professional journal
that is also peer-reviewed.
Journals are published for a particular or specialized
audience, rather than the general public. A journal may be academic, scholarly,
professional or technical in nature. For example, JAMA: The Journal of the
American Medical Association is written for members of the medical and
allied health profession. Articles are often about very specialized medical
topics that include technical language, because it is assumed the readers
understand the terminology.
Most journal articles are considered highly credible sources
of information. This is because many journal editors ask a panel of experts to
read the articles for accuracy, currency and completeness before accepting them
for publication. These types of journals are called peer-reviewed or
refereed.
When students need to determine if a publication is
considered a journal or a magazine they can search the Ulrichsweb.com
database. A search for a title in this online directory will indicate the
document type such as magazine/general or journal/academic. If a publication is
a journal and it is also peer-reviewed the refereed icon which looks like a
referee's shirt (black & white stripe) will appear.
 Referee's shirt = Peer-viewed = Specialized source
The Ulrichsweb.com database is accessible on the
Library Website via the
Databases
link.
For other types of specialized sources students should check
with their instructors. For information about which databases to use to search
for peer-reviewed journal articles read the FAQ titled:
How can I find
articles from scholarly or professional journals? (revised 4/11/07)
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Where can I get topic ideas for my paper?
The following research databases may be helpful:
Issues & Controversies @ FACTS.com --
Hundreds of articles are available
with analysis and explanations of the opposing points of view of a topic. To
identify a possible research topic click on the "Need a Research Topic"
button.
You can also use the "Quick Access"
section to search for topics by title, pro /
con topic, or subject. Click
here to link to this database. If you are off campus you will need to enter your LCC
TUID and password.
Opposing Viewpoints
Resource Center --
The main page of
this database displays a list of social issues. Simply click on a
specific topic to access viewpoint articles, reference documents,
statistics, full-text magazine and newspaper articles, primary documents
and links to websites. Click
here
to access this database. If you are off campus you will need to enter
your LCC TUID and password.
SIRS
Knowledge Source -- The
top ten "Pro vs. Con Leading
Issues" are presented on the
main page. Click on a topic to link to magazine and newspaper articles,
government documents, reference and primary sources, and websites about that
subject. To access additional leading issue topics click on the
"more issues" link
on the main page. Click
here
to access this database. If you are off campus you will need to enter your LCC
TUID and password.
See also the library's handout
"Hot Topics" available in the
Research Guides section of the library's
website.
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How can I find videotapes / DVDs on my topic?
-
Go to the Library's homepage at
www.lcc.edu/library
-
Click on Find Multimedia.
-
Click on LCC Library Catalog.
-
Enter your topic in the search box.
-
From the
Format drop down menu select Video-VHS
or Video-DVD.
-
Click on Submit.
-
A list of videotapes
or DVDs on your topic will appear.
-
If you retrieve no entries, try your search again with different search terms.
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