Technical Information Prescott Library, La Tech University |
Choosing a Topic
To get an idea about current issues or problems in a particular
field of study, look in relevant periodicals (magazines and
scholarly journals). There are general ones such as
(all of these have websites), and then
there are subject specific ones such as
- ENR (Engineering
News Record)
- Fortune
- JAMA (Journal of
the American Medical Association)
- Psychology
Today
- etc.
You can find these and many more by
searching the Tech Library
Catalog and typing in a subject like marketing, education,
electrical engineering, medicine, etc. and then add the words
"and periodicals" to your search (ex. nursing and
periodicals). This search should result in a large list of
periodicals — which you can view online if a URL is provided or
which you can find in paper format on the 3rd floor Periodical
shelves under the call number provided.
Also on the 3rd floor, you will find newspapers such
as
- The New York Times,
- Baton Rouge Advocate,
- New Orleans Times Picayune,
- Shreveport Times,
- Monroe News Star, and
- Ruston Daily Leader
great sources for hard-to-find local information.
Additionally, the library subscribes to CQ Researcher, an excellent database that provides full text electronic reports on important current events and controversial topics (ex, bullying, homelessness, CMOs, gun control, net neutrality, opioid crisis; student debt). You can find this in the A-Z List of resources under the Databases tab.
Conducting your Research
A good research paper should include material from a variety of sources: books, journals, newspapers, government information, reputable websites. These sources may also include material you may not have considered before such as statistics, patents, and technical reports. So, where do you find these on the library webpage?
In the lists below next to each boldface resource are various
links you can explore. For example, journal articles can be
found under the tab Articles
which searches the database Academic
Search Ultimate. However, articles on specific subjects
such as engineering, psychology, or education can be found under
the tab Databases
and then the words Subject
List. Some subject specific databases include
- Avery
Index (architecture)
- Engineering
Village
- IEEE
Xplore
- Business
Source Complete & Enhanced
- Biological
Abstracts
- CINAHL
(nursing)
- Medline,
- ERIC
(education)
- Psychlnfo
and
- Scopus.
- Books:
- Books;
- Catalogs; or
- Library
Catalog
- Journal articles:
- Articles;
- Databases then Subject
List (arranged by College such as Business or
Engineering);
- Google
Scholar
- Newspaper articles:
- 'Newspapers'
lists dozens of titles, and
- Nexis
Uni a database that covers hundreds of full-text news
sources
- Government
Information: this tab brings up a search box that
searches only govt information; click on Federal or Louisiana
to search federal
and state
websites.
- Patents:
- Government
Info > Federal
websites > PTO
Patent and Trademark Office (U.S.) or
- Google Patents;
- Scopus
- Statistics:
- Statista;
- Statistical
Abstracts of the United States (1879-2012).
- Also, try adding the phrase "and statistics" to
your search.
- Technical Standards:
- Websites:
- If you are not sure where to begin your research, there is
a search engine called EBSCO
Discovery Service which is the default option on
the front screen. Type your topic into the search box, and it
will look for resources in all places: the library catalog,the
databases, government publications, etc. You will retrieve a
very large list of results which you will then need to narrow
down using the "Limit To" or "Limit Search Results" options on
the left.
- Most of the databases contain full text joumal articles.
Look for the html/pdf links or the words "Full Text Finder"
or the Full Text Finder icon because the full text may
be available in another database. The Tech Library may even
have a paper copy of the journal. Click on the phrase 'View
item in Tech Catalog' to see what issues the library has
and the call number of the journal. All paper copies are
located on the 3rd floor of the library.
- If you see the phrase "Request this item ILLiad," it means
that the library does not have access to this joumal. Anytime
Prescott Library does not have access to the journal article,
book, or technical report you need, you may request it from
another library using the free service
InterLibrary Loan (ILLiad).
- Electronic
Books; our ebooks are included in the Library
Catalog when you do a search, but you can also search them
directly under the link Electronic Book Collections:
- EBSCO books cover all subject areas. They are also included in the Library Catalog.
- Knovel
and Momentum Press are databases of technical
and engineering books.
- Credo
Reference and the Gale
Virtual Reference Library provide the
electronic version of reference books (encyclopedias,
handbooks) covering all subject areas.
- When accessing resources from off campus, you will need to
enter your Username from your Tech email address (example —
jde123@latech.edu) and your email account password. On your
laptop access the library using the La Tech WPA2 portal. The
library is also available from your mobile phone or
iPad/tablet.
If you have questions or problems, click on Contact Us at the
top of the Prescott Library webpage or email kevinc@latech.edu.
Works Cited Citation Format
Works Cited Citation Format Did you know that many of the
databases now provide a way to cite the book or joumal article
you are reading? Look for words such as cite, citation format.
Prescott Library also has copies of several style manuals for
APA and MLA formats. Just ask for these at the Information Desk
on the main floor. You can also Google the OWL at
Purdue (Purdue University's online writing lab) for
helpful examples.
Rev. Dec 2018
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