Getting Started in the LibraryThis library guide points you in the direction of some basic library resources for completing library assignments and writing research papers in this course. Many of these resources are available from the library's homepage at http://www.lib.ipfw.edu/, so you may want to bookmark both the homepage and this guide.
Here are some resources to get you started:
Gaining an OverviewTo develop and refine your search, it often helps to consult a specialized dictionary, encyclopedia, handbook, textbook, guide, or bibliography. These tools are designed to offer an overview of your topic or research problem written by an expert. They may provide an historical perspective, a chronology of events, definitions of terms or concepts, or bibliographic references leading to the literature in a particular field of study. Many useful reference works are now available online. These handy e-reference collections are accessible via Find Resources By... Subject, Title, or Type on the library's homepage.
Selected Reference Works for this CourseThe four-volume Encyclopedia of Educational Research (Reference LB15.E48 1992) includes signed articles with bibliographies on such issues as "Case study design," "Ethnography: Experimental and quasi-experimental design," or "Survey design." Use the index volume to locate cross-references to relevant articles.
Use Educational Research, Methodology, and Measurement: An International Handbook (Reference LB1028.E3184 1997) or the Handbook of Methods in Cultural Anthropology (Reference GN345.H37 1998) to get an overview of specific methods and methodological assumptions.
The three-volume Sage Encyclopedia of Social Science Research Methods (Reference H62 .S24 2004) provides an overview of research methods in the social sciences.
The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research (Reference H62 .H2455 2005) has over 40 expertly written chapters of theories and techniques in qualitative research.
Doing Your Research Project: A Guide for First-Time Researchers in Education and Social Science (Reference LB1028.B394 1993, on reserve at the Service Desk) is a brief introduction to research design.
Psychometric tests and standardized measures are listed and critically reviewed in Mental Measurements Yearbook (Reference Z5814.P8 B932) and Tests in Print IV (Reference Z5814.E9 T47).
Handbooks published by Macmillan provide extensive review articles with bibliographies on many areas of educational research. None of these resources are indexed in ERIC, so scan the tables of contents and back-of-the-book indexes for much useful information. See, for example: Handbook of Research on School Supervision (Reference LB 2806.6.H36 1998)
Annual Review of Research for School Leaders (Reference LB 2805.A586 1998)
Handbook of Educational Psychology (Reference LB1051.H2354 1996)
Handbook of Research for Educational Communications and Technology (Reference LB1028.3.H355 1996)
Handbook of Research on Teacher Education (Reference LB1715.H274 1996)
Handbook of Research on Multicultural Education (Reference LC1099.3.H35 1995)
Handbook of Research on the Education of Young Children (Reference LB1119.H25 1993)
Handbook of Research on Curriculum (Reference LB1570.H264 1992)
Handbook of Research on Music Teaching and Learning (Reference MT1 .H138 1992)
Handbook of Research on Teaching the English Language Arts (Reference LB1576 .H234 1991)
Searching IUCAT for Books and PeriodicalsSearch IUCAT Catalog (Indiana University's online library catalog), to find books and periodicals (scholarly journals, popular magazines, newspapers, and other serials), or library materials such as music CDs, electronic resources, and videos. Materials at the Fort Wayne Helmke Library are designated by the library location FORTWAYNE.
IUCAT searches from on-campus computers will show only materials held by the IPFW Fort Wayne Helmke Library. To search all IU libraries, choose ALL from the Select Library pull-down menu on the search screen.
Sometimes IUCAT will lead you to articles in periodicals, but the most efficient way to locate articles is to use a periodical database or index to search many periodicals simultaneously.
Learning about IUCATSave time in the long run by investing a half-hour with our interactive Searching IUCAT Tutorial. It is an easy way to grasp fundamental search techniques and try your hand at practice searches designed to reinforce your knowledge. Also check our other IUCAT Guides for help in using IUCAT to your best advantage.
Choosing the Type of SearchUse the default Basic Search search option to find important keywords or phrases in an IUCAT record, in any order. Choose this search when you are unsure of the exact author or title of works on your topic.
Choose the Begins With (Browse) option from the box labeled More IUCAT Searches to find words or phrases exactly as typed, letter-for-letter, searching from left to right. Choose this search to find known authors or titles. Step 1. Enter term(s) in Title, Author, or Keywords Anywhere search boxes.
Step 2. Under Library, leave Fort Wayne Helmke Library as default, or change to ALL.
Step 3. Click the Search button.
Keyword Search ExamplesKeywords Anywhere will search for words anywhere in a record. This search is the default when the Enter key is used instead of clicking the button.
Example: special education
Example: dewey john (finds works by or about John Dewey)
Author will search for first or last names in any order in the author fields of a record. Included are personal names, organizations, agencies, corporations, conferences, etc.
Example: dewey john (finds works by John Dewey, yields the same results as john dewey)
Title will search for important words in the title. Do not use initial articles: a, the, la, das, etc.
Example: (collaborative or group or team) and learning
Example: encyclopedia of language and education (stop words are ignored)
Subject will search for important words in the official Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH).
Example: handicapped children (also finds Mentally Handicapped Children)
Example: education and (encyclop$ or dictionar$)
Finding Periodicals in IUCATStep 1. Choose Periodical Title Search from the box labeled More IUCAT Searches.
Step 2. Enter the periodical title. Choose Keyword or Exact depending on the search you need.
Step 3. Select the correct record from the Search Results screen.
Step 4. In the IUCAT record look for the URL (for Electronic Resources available Online) or Holdings (for printed periodicals) to find what specific years and volumes are available at IUCAT's FORTWAYNE location.
Step 5. When the library owns the printed volumes you need, write down the call number and location. The call number and IUCAT Shelving Locations will help you determine where an item will be shelved in the library. Or if the resource is available online, follow the URL link to the full-text content.
Educational Research Terminology for this CourseThe printed Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors is available in the Reference Consulting Area on the first floor (or try out the thesaurus online in the ERIC database, see below). Also check the list of terms in the four-volume Library of Congress (LC) Subject Headings. Use these tools to devise an effective search strategy before searching IUCAT, ERIC, or other databases.
Here are a few research-related examples comparing LC and ERIC terminology: Action research in education [in ERIC = Action research]
Adult education [same in ERIC] Case method [in ERIC = Case studies]
Comparative education [same in ERIC] Early childhood education [same in ERIC]
Education [same in ERIC] Educational evaluation [in ERIC = Evaluation]
Educational statistics [in ERIC = Statistical analysis]
Educational tests and measurements [in ERIC = Testing, or Measurement]
Evaluation research [same in ERIC]
Experimental design [in ERIC = Research design]
Interviewing [in ERIC = Interviews]
Proposal writing in educational research [in ERIC = Proposal writing]
Psychometrics [same in ERIC]
Sampling (Statistics) [in ERIC = Sampling]
Social surveys [in ERIC = Surveys]
Many terms can be subdivided by --Research or --Methodology or --Case studies: Reading--Research
Special education--Research
Literacy--Research
Schools--Evaluation--Research
Teaching--Methodology
Education--United States--Case studies
Locating Books and Periodicals in the LibraryBooks, printed periodicals, and other library materials are shelved in Library of Congress Classification (LC) call number order. The call number and IUCAT Shelving Locations will help you determine on which floor of the library an item will be shelved.
Searching for Periodical ArticlesThe most efficient way of finding a high-quality periodical article , is to search a periodical database or index that provides descriptive abstracts, subject indexing, and often, the full-text content of articles. Check out the interactive Finding Articles Tutorial to learn the basics of choosing and searching the Academic Search Premier database. Below is a selection of databases useful for your course. For a complete list, see the library's Find Resources By... page. Select a resource by Subject, Title, or Type (choose Abstracts & Indexes).
Databases for this Course
ERIC (EBSCOhost)
Content: | The ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) database is sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education, to provide extensive access to education-related literature. ERIC contains more than 1,000,000 abstracts of ERIC documents and journal articles on education research and practice from over 1,000 education journals dating back to 1966. ERIC documents, identified by ED number, are mostly non-journal materials such as unpublished research, reference materials, school board policies, theses, or curriculum guides. Many of these are available full text (dating back to 1993) via a link to the Institute of Education Sciences ERIC Web site. One advantage of using the EBSCOhost interface is the ability to search it concurrently with the Professional Development Collection (EBSCOhost) which provides an array of full-text content. |
Access: | Database available to authorized IPFW users (on or off campus). Other Indiana residents are authorized to use the State of Indiana's Inspire Project link to access this database. Users with an Internet service provider not based in Indiana (AOL, MSN, EarthLink, etc.) must first register for an INSPIRE password account. IPFW library owns the printed Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE) semiannual and annual cumulations 1969-1991 (Reference Z5813 .C8). |
| More ... |
Academic Search Premier (EBSCOhost)
Content: | Provides abstracts and indexing of articles in nearly 8,000 popular magazines, scholarly journals, and major newspapers, updated daily, in a wide range of fields including business, education, science and technology, health sciences, humanities, and social sciences, with nearly 4,000 titles available full text. Limit to scholarly, peer-reviewed articles or full-text articles only, if desired. Indexing coverage varies, with full-text content for some titles beginning 1975 or earlier, and most titles indexed from the 1990s. A complete list of titles covered is available. |
Access: | Database available to authorized IPFW users (on or off campus). Database available to authorized IPFW users (on or off campus). Other Indiana residents with an Internet service provider not based in Indiana (AOL, MSN, EarthLink, etc.) must first register for an INSPIRE password account. |
| More ... |
Professional Development Collection (EBSCOhost)
Content: | Provides abstracts and indexing of articles in nearly 800 journals aimed at professional educators, updated daily, with more than 500 titles available full text. Limit to scholarly, peer-reviewed articles or full-text articles only, if desired. Indexing coverage varies, with full-text content for some titles beginning 1975 or earlier, and most titles indexed from the 1990s to present. Use care in searching this database or Academic Search Premier (EBSCOhost) together with the ERIC (EBSCOhost) interface. Results display ERIC records (with ERIC-supplied full abstracts and detailed subject descriptors) intermixed with records from EBSCOhost's full-text collections (with shorter abstracts and restricted subject vocabulary). A complete list of titles covered is available. |
Access: | Database available to authorized IPFW users (on or off campus). Database available to authorized IPFW users (on or off campus). Other Indiana residents with an Internet service provider not based in Indiana (AOL, MSN, EarthLink, etc.) must first register for an INSPIRE password account. |
| More ... |
Education Full Text (Wilson)
Content: | Offers abstracts and indexing of articles for more than 600 English-language periodicals, monographs and yearbooks. As the name implies, over 250 of the titles are provided full text, cover to cover, as far back as 1994 with indexing back to 1983. Notable features include the ability of limiting searches to only peer reviewed or full-text items and links out to Web sites cited in an article. The database is updated daily. |
Access: | Database available to authorized IPFW users (on or off campus). IPFW's license allows an unlimited number of simultaneous users. |
| More ... |
Is Your Article Scholarly or Popular?University instructors often ask students to use articles from scholarly journals rather than from popular magazines for their research assignments. The following Is Your Journal Scholarly? (PDF) summarizes major differences between scholarly journals and popular magazines. Which type of source have you located?
What about Full Text?Full text means that the text of the article is available in PDF or HTML digital format. Graphics and tables are not automatically included unless the database producer has rights to publish them. Many of the library's licensed databases offer the full-text content of periodical articles. IPFW students, faculty, and staff now have access to more than 20,000 full-text journals. Find them in E-Journal Finder.
When an article you need is not available full text in the database you are using, choose  to see all of your delivery options. You may be able to access the full-text content in another database, request the article from another library through Document Delivery Services, or make a photocopy of the article if the printed periodical is owned by Helmke Library.
When a Resource is Not Available in the LibraryRequest Delivery is an IUCAT feature that allows IPFW faculty, students, and staff to request materials held by other Indiana University Libraries and to have them delivered to Helmke Library (see the IUCAT Request Delivery Fact Sheet).
You may also request any item that is not available at Helmke Library through Document Delivery Services (DDS). DDS borrows books and provides photocopies of periodical articles from other library collections. The service is free for IPFW faculty, staff, and students.
Searching the InternetFor some information needs, the Internet may supplement library resources. To begin an Internet search, try one of the many search engines on our Internet Search site. One that works well is Google, which ranks results by number of links leading to a site. The section on Subject-Oriented Tools includes directories that have evaluated and selected sites for specific subject areas, such as the Librarians' Index to the Internet.
Because the World Wide Web is a massive, tangled directory of knowledge producers, research, facts, and entertaining tidbits of information, you must be critical about the material you find there. Quality and validity are not assured when anyone can publish anything, anytime, without the benefit of scholarly peer review. There are many useful guides and tutorials to help you understand how to navigate and evaluate Web sites, including Is Your Web Site Credible?
Style Guides and Useful Tools for WritingA variety of style guides are on reserve at the Service Desk on the first floor. These tools help you organize and write your paper, and format in-text references and bibliography lists. For more information, also see our Style Guides and Writing Guides subject pathfinders.
And Finally, Ask a LibrarianLibrarians and skilled information assistants are always available to assist you. Visit the Service Desk to meet an information assistant who will help you get started. You are welcome to make an appointment with Your Subject Librarian if you need more in-depth assistance.
 |
adkinst@ipfw.edu
2101 E. Coliseum Blvd.
Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1499
260-481-6708
Fax: 260-481-6509
|
Tiff Adkins M.A.E., M.L.S.
Reference & Information Services Librarian
Liaison to Education; Collection Developer for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation
Helmke Library, LB156 |
|
|
|
|
