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Research and Writing Methods COMM 266
Professor M. Alfredo Gonzalez
September 13, 2007
Guide for finding sources at the George T. Potter Library
Marcia Sexton
x6749
- Library Homepage
- Find Books
- Reference Material
- Find Articles (Databases)
- Interlibrary Loan/Journal Finder
- Bibliographies
- Provides access to the catalog (OPAC), databases, interlibrary loan forms, etc.
II. Finding Books at the Potter Library
- Catalog: use this to find books, journal titles (NOT ARTICLES), government documents, reserve items, music,and movies owned by the Library. You may limit a search by language, year(s) of publication, type of material, etc. This may take a few seconds to load.
- Search the catalog using Keywords to find material
- For example: search for higher education to locate a broad range of material and look for ideas for your project
OR
Search the catalog using Subject Browse feature ONLY if you know the Library of Congress Subject Headings
- For example:
- Start with broad searches. It is much easier to discard too much rather than start with too little.
- If you don't know the Subject Heading, use the Related Records tab located on the top of a catalog record to get to the headings. This will help you focus in on more relevant material.
- Can "virtually" browse the shelves by clicking on the call number in a record.
Education, higher
Universities and colleges -- United States -- Finance
Education, secondary
Tips
III. Reference Material
- The reference stacks are located on the 3rd floor (this is also the library's entrance).
- Some useful materials for your projects:
| Higher education in the United States: an encyclopedia | Ref LA225.H54 2002 |
| History of American higher education | Ref LA226.T45 2004 |
Tips
- Use reference books to browse for project ideas and to get started on your research.
- Use the Bibliographies at the end of encyclopedia entries to find more information on your topic.
IV. Electronic Resources
- Some useful Databases for your projects:
| Communication and Mass Media Complete | Offers full text for over 200 titles and contains citation coverage for additional sources. NOTE: When only a citation is included, click on the Check availability at Ramapo link to see if the full text of the article is available in our collection. |
| Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe | Offers full-text newspaper and journal articles on foreign language news, general news, transcript news, and more. |
| Academic Search Premier | A multidisciplinary database that contains many full-text articles. May also limit to scholarly (peer-reviewed) journals.NOTE: When only a citation is included, click on the Check availability at Ramapo link to see if the full text of the article is available in our collection. |
| Americas Newspapers/NewsBank InfoWeb | America's Newspapers from NewsBank provides full-text articles from the electronic editions of record for more than 300 U.S. newspapers. Newspaper archives provide comprehensive coverage of current events (history in the making) and historical events. Each newspaper or wire service provides unique coverage of local and regional news, including specific information about local companies, politics, sports, industries, cultural activities, and the people in the community. Paid advertisements are excluded. Newsbank includes the full-text of the Philadelphia Inquirer, The Record (NJ), and The Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ). |
(Scholarly/Peer Reviewed/Refereed articles have been reviewed by a selected panel of experts in the discipline covered by that journal).
Tips
- Always switch to the Advance Search page in a database. This will give you more control over your results.
- Always use Boolean Operators-AND, OR, NOT when running a search. For Example: higher education and funding.
- Always check your Spelling if the database results are Zero.
.
V. Interlibrary Loan
Both of these links can be found under QUICK LINKS on the library's homepage.
- Interlibrary Loan: allows students to borrow a book or article that the Potter library does not own. There is a link from the Journal Finder page.
- Journal Finder: this provides information regarding if a journal is available full-text online, in print in the library, or available on microfilm.
VI. Bibliographies
- Use Citing Sources for examples of "In-Text Citations" and "Works Cited"
- Use the Citing Websites and Print Sources to get call numbers for paper copies of style manuals.
Need more help? Visit or call the Reference Desk: 201.684.7574
Use QandA NJ a 24/7 virtual chat with a reference librarian.