Finding Background Information: Reference Books
Reference books (both in print and electronic versions) include dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs, directories, manuals, handbooks, and much more. Reference books can help you to:
- Explore a topic: find out what has been said about this subject, trends, issues, etc.
- Identify unfamiliar terms or people in your reading
- Find references to other books and articles on the subject
- Find specific keywords to use in online searches
- Gale Virtual Reference Library
Searches several online encyclopedias at once
- Reference Universe
This database searches the complete indexes of many print and electronic encyclopedias held in MSU's collection.
- Encyclopedia of American Cultural and Intellectual History
Contains thorough entries on all aspects of American thought and expression throughout history.
- Encyclopedia of American Social History
This 3-volume set covers all aspects of social history such as family life, work life and labor, education, and more.
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Finding Books in the MSU Libraries
How do I search for books on my topic?
To search for books in the MSU Libraries on a topic, you will need to use the catalog. The catalog is a searchable listing of materials owned and located in the MSU Libraries, including: books, journals, government documents, microforms, videos/DVDs/CDs, etc.
When should I use the catalog?
- To find whether we own a specific book, including its location and call number
- To browse for books on a topic
- To find whether we subscribe to a specific magazine, journal, or newspaper
To search for books placed on Reserve for your class, search by course or instructor.
NOTE: You cannot use the catalog to find individual articles within a magazine-you must use a periodical index for that.
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Finding Articles in Magazines, Journals, and Newspapers
How do I search for articles on my research topic?
To search for articles on a particular topic, you must search a periodical index. A periodical index allows you to search the contents of magazines, journals, and newspapers. For more details and step-by-step instructions, see Finding Periodical Articles in the MSU Libraries or check out our short video tutorials for using MSU's article indexes.
Need
help choosing keywords and searching indexes? Try: Database/Index
FAQs and Searching Tips
- Popular vs. Scholarly Periodicals
This guide will help you tell the difference between popular and scholarly sources.
- ProQuest
Provides access to the citations of articles (and in many cases, the full text of articles) in a wide range of subject areas. In addition to general interest publications, ProQuest covers titles in the following areas: Arts, Business, Children, Education, General Interest, Health, Humanities, International, Law, Military, Multicultural, Psychology, Sciences, Social Sciences, and Women's Interests.
- WilsonSelectPlus
Provides access to the full text of journal and magazine articles in a variety of disciplines, including art, education, health, business, general sciences, and many areas of general interest.
- Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center
Contains articles with pro/con viewpoints on a variety of social issues including gun control, genetic engineering, censorship, abortion, and terrorism. Also includes references to related books and articles on topics of current interest.
- CQ Researcher
This web file provides 48 reports a year on current, hot, and controversial topics such as "Embryo Research," "Rethinking Ritalin," "Drinking on Campus," and "Subsidized Access to the Internet for the Poor." Among the file's beauties are its balanced introductions to these issues; others include its generous selection of cross references to past reports, excellent tables and graphs, and clear instructions on how to cite the resource. A full text product.
- America History and Life
America History and Life provides access to the citations of articles (and in some cases, the full text of articles), book reviews, and dissertations in American and Canadian history.
- Web of Science
Includes the Institute for Scientific Information Citation Indexes - Arts and Humanities, Social Science, and Science. It indexes science, social sciences, and arts and humanities information from nearly 9,300 of the most prestigious, high impact research journals in the world.
- WorldCat (OCLC)
WorldCat is the OCLC Online Union Catalog, containing more than 35 million records describing items owned by MSU Libraries and libraries around the world; each record indicates library holdings. It is produced by the OCLC Online Computer Library Center and describes books, manuscripts, computer data files, maps, computer programs, musical scores, films and slides, newspapers, journals, sound recordings magazines, and videotapes.
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Primary Sources
- Primary Sources - Online Tutorial
- Finding Primary Source Materials
This research guide explains primary sources and how to find them.
- Primary Sources Electronic Resources
This page lists electronic primary sources. There are some commonly used ones, and they are also broken up by subject area.
- Vincent Voice Library
The G. Robert Vincent Voice Library is a collection of over 40,000 hours of spoken word recordings, dating back to 1888. The collection includes the voices of over 100,000 persons from all walks of life.
- Digital Collections
The Digital and Multimedia Center makes special items from the library available online. The digital collections cover topics like Africana, American Radicalism, Cookbooks, and Rural Living.
- AP Images
AP Images, a division of The Associated Press, is one of the world's largest collections of historical and contemporary imagery.
- Newspaper Guide
Guide to current and historical, print and online newspaper sources available from the MSU Libraries.
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Other Places to Look: Research Guides and Web Sites
- GETTING STARTED: A Set of Basic Guides
Hundreds of research tools are available in the MSU Libraries, so it can be confusing to know where to begin. Guides to "Getting Started" are available for major subject areas, disciplines and fields of study. Each guide typically notes key bibliographic indexes, relevant materials in the print format Reference collection, and the name of the librarian assigned to the topic as a subject specialist.
- Finding Hot Topic Information
Stuck on finding a hot or controversial topic for writing a paper or giving a speech? The following research guide provides a short list of resources which may prove helpful in providing topic ideas along with pro/con viewpoints and information for controversial topics.
- Evaluating Websites
A guide for evaluating the quality of websites for research papers, courtesy of University of California - Berkeley.
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When Items You Find Online Are Not Available
If the item you are looking for is checked out or the MSU Libraries do not own the item, you may request it from another library (at no charge) by following these instructions:
- Books
If the book is CHECKED OUT:
- Recall: Please use this form to request that we recall CHECKED OUT material and hold it for you. For more information about MSU recall policies, please call Circulation at 517/355-2333.
If the book is NOT owned by the MSU Libraries:
- Search MeLCat to see if the book is available from other Michigan libraries and request it be delivered to the Main Library for you.
If the book is NOT available in MeLCat: - Request the book through ILLiad.
- Articles
If the item you are looking for is an article from a magazine, journal, or newspaper that the MSU Libraries do not own, you have two options:
FIRST: Try locating and requesting the article through ArticleReach Direct..
SECOND: If you can't find the article using ArticleReach Direct, you may request it through ILLiad.
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Citing Resources in Your Bibliography
Don't forget to cite! Please visit our online citation guide for links to how to cite your resources using various citation styles such as MLA, APA, and Chicago/Turabian. You will also find links to "citation generators," or Web sites that will automatically format your citations for you.
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Writing Center
The Writing Center is a free service available to help students with their papers. There is a satellite in the Library. You can make an appointment on their web site.
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Finding Assistance in the MSU Libraries
If we can provide any further assistance to you in your research, please do not hesitate to contact us:
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Page Coordinator: Breezy Silver silverbr@msu.edu
This URL: http://guides.lib.msu.edu/page.phtml?page_id=2155
Last updated: 12-16-2008
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