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Home | Library | Library Instruction | Course And Program Pathfinders

Course Pathfinder: Mr. Steven Kenneally, Instructor

Getting Started

A library reference room can be a good place to find expert sources of quick information. Encyclopedias and dictionaries offer concise information in a variety of subjects and can also spark ideas for specific research topics. These are examples of a few of the resources found in our reference room; the same titles might also be found in another library. You will find the same subject areas in the library general stacks following the same call number system.

Print Resources
Encyclopedias: General and Communication
The Cambridge Encyclopedia
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Encyclopedia.
The World Book encyclopedia of people and places.
Encyclopedia of communication and information
International encyclopedia of communications

Dictionaries: General and Communication
Webster's third new international dictionary of the English language unabridged / editor in chief, P
The American Heritage college dictionary.
Dictionary of mass communication & media research
Dictionary of media and communication studies

Finding Books
For finding resources in the Mount Union College Library and other libraries, construct keyword & subject searches. A good strategy is to do a keyword search first, using words that you think might be in the title or content notes. When you find a resource that looks worthwhile, see what subject headings are used to categorize that item and use them to do subject searches. Searches in the online catalog will display what resources MUC owns in those areas.

Finding Journal & Magazine Articles
Some indexes and databases will provide the full-text of articles online; others offer only a citation and/or abstract of the article. If the database you're using doesn't provide the full-text of an article, first check 'Research by Title' (found on the Library Home Page) to see if it is available online in another database or in Mount Union College Library's in-house collection.

Useful Journals
--Use 'Research by Journal Title' to view the holdings and access options for subject & related topic journals
--Some journals are full-text within databases, others are in print holdings in the Mount Union College Library
--Journals published from 2001-present are on the 1st floor of the Old Building
--Journals published from 1976-2001 are on the second floor of the Old Building
--Journals published from 1800's-1975 are located in the basement of the Old Building

General Research Indexes:
Communication Research Indexes:
  • Arts and Humanities Citation Index
  • Communications and Mass Media Complete
    CMMC incorporates CommSearch and Mass Media Articles Index along with numerous other journals; CMMC offers cover-to-cover ("core") indexing and abstracts for over 300 journals, and selected ("priority") coverage of over 100 more, for a combined coverage of over 400 titles; full text for nearly 200 journals.
  • Film and Television Literature Index with Full Text
    Full-text articles about television and film writing providing access to more than 300 publications, and selected coverage of 300 more
  • Humanities International Complete
    Provides bibliographic references to literary, scholarly and creative journals published in the United States and Canada; This database covers over 1,700 journals and more than 1.5 million records

Finding Internet Resources

Search Engines

Google Scholar (search engine for scholarly literature links on the open web) http://scholar.google.com/
Infomine (selected web resources for university-level work) http://infomine.ucr.edu/

The Internet is a very useful resource, but it can be frustrating to use if you don't know where to look for scholarly information, or to learn if the information you have found is accurate and true.

If you question the information found on a website, ask your instructor or a librarian. They will be happy to help you evaluate various web sites.

Final Writing and Presentation

A Writers Response, Electronic Resource
Publication manual of the American Psychological Association, 808.06615 A512p5
MLA handbook for writers of research papers, 808.02 G437m6
Mount Union College Writing Center
http://www.muc.edu/academics/writing_center

Academic Honesty

"Academic honesty is expected of Mount Union College students. Academic standards and practices are influenced by culture. What is considered appropriate academic behavior in your home country might be different from what is appropriate in the United States; it is important that you understand U.S. standards and practices. Not meeting these standards can result in charges of academic dishonesty and possibly expulsion from the College.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not necessarily limited to, cheating on assignments and examinations; plagiarizing, representing as your own work any part of work done by another; or unauthorized use of library or computer materials."
**(Information obtained from 2006-07 Mount Union College Catalog)