Course Pathfinder: Mr. Steven Kenneally
Getting Started
Consult library research guides and reputable scholarly resources as necessary to begin creating a research strategy.
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.
Print Resources
Encyclopedias: General and Education
The Columbia Encyclopedia
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Encyclopedia.
The World Book encyclopedia of people and places.
The encyclopedia of learning disabilities
Education and technology : an encyclopedia
Dictionaries: General and Education
Webster's third new international dictionary of the English language unabridged / editor in chief, P
The American Heritage college dictionary.
The Greenwood dictionary of education
Historical dictionary of American education
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 Journal 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
Article Databases & Indexes (Education)
General Research Indexes:
Academic OneFile (InfoTrac) Full text expanded coverage including news magazines, popular culture, medical and legal information
Academic Search Complete (EBSCO)
Index, abstracts, and full text for many scholarly publications covering all academic areas of study
Digital Video Collection
(OhioLINK, Digital Media Center)
EJC ' Electronic Journal Center
Full text of 6000+ research journals
JSTOR
Full text scholarly journals in the Arts & Sciences, Business, Language and Literature
Infotrac OneFile
Full text expanded coverage including news magazines, popular culture, medical and legal information
LexisNexis Academic
Full text news, business, legal, medical, and reference information
Education Research Indexes:
Children's Literature Comprehensive Database,CLCD
please click on the link for "Registered Users" to access database
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Education Abstracts
Indexes core international periodicals, monographs, and yearbooks in education. Education Abstracts cites articles in English-language periodicals and yearbooks published in the United States and elsewhere. English language books related to education published in 1995 or later are also indexed
Education Research Complete
Index, abstracts and full text of articles and other publications in education research
Educator's Reference Desk
Site includes 2000 lesson plans, 3000 value-added pointers to education information & organizations, and 200 question archives
ERIC
Educational Resources Information Center. Index and abstracts of articles, books, and documents covering education research and practice
KCDONLINE
"This searchable database of curricula, frameworks, and standards brings together educational objectives, content, instructional strategies, and evaluative techniques for all subjects covered in PreK-12 and Adult Basic Education"
Library, Information Science & Technology
Index and abstracts to publications in library and information science and technology
Middle Search Plus
(for Middle School Students) Index, abstracts, and full text for popular middle school magazines
Primary Search
Professional Development Collection
Index, abstracts, and full text for professional educators
Social Sciences Citation Index (ISI)
Testing & Education Reference Center Basic
Free access, but each user must create an account with user name and password different from campus user name and password
Vocational and Career Collection
Index, abstracts, and full text for 350 trade and industry related periodicals
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)
Glossary
Primary source-Original words of a writer'novel, speech, eyewitness account, letter, autobiography, interview, or results of original research. They are written in the time period from which they occur.
Examples: Pilot studies, term projects, sampling results, tests and test data, surveys, interviews, observations, statistics, and computer data.
Secondary source- Accounts written after the fact with the benefit of hindsight. They are interpretations and evaluations of primary sources. Secondary sources are not evidence, but rather commentary on and discussion of evidence.
Examples: Analysis and evaluation of educational experimentation in journals, reports, pamphlets, and books.
Refereed-'Term used to indicate that manuscripts published in the journal have been reviewed by experts and specialists in the field before being accepted for publication. Sometimes refereed journals are characterized as 'peer-reviewed.' '
Tertiary source-Tertiary sources consist of information which is a distillation and collection of primary and secondary sources.
Examples: Almanacs, Encyclopedias, and fact books.
Definitions from Bowker's Magazines for Libraries, 14th edition, Writing Research Papers: A complete guide, 7th Edition,and the University of Maryland, University Libraries web pages. Visit their site for more information about sources.