This document provides information and resources for students conducting research, including: - The definition and role of a reference librarian from Cornell University - Contact information for the reference librarian at the Atlanta campus of Mercer University - Details on reference hours and methods for getting research assistance - An overview of different sources for background information and developing a topic, such as encyclopedias, books, journals, and websites - Guidance on evaluating sources and selecting appropriate scholarly journals and popular magazines - Instructions for finding books using the library catalog and finding articles using databases

1. UNIV 110
Florence Tang
Liaison to the Penfield
College for the Atlanta
Campus
678-547-6261
tang_fy@mercer.edu

2. Cornell University Library definition
of a reference librarian
http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/vocab.html
Reference Librarian
Reference librarians are
specialists in the field of
information retrieval. Generally
they have a Masters degree in
library science… They are
available at reference desks to
help you find the information
you are looking for.

3. Florence’s office
10:00 AM -7:00 PM
May be working weekends or nights.

4. Questions? Ask the Reference Desk!
(678) 547-6282 (Atlanta)
swilley_ref@mercer.edu
Reference Hours
M - Th 9AM-9PM
F 9AM-6PM
Sat 10AM-6PM
Sun 1PM-9PM
Add askmercer as your buddy!

6. Remember to start your research
early. Not everything can be found
full-text online or at all hours.
o Interlibrary Loan
o Interlibrary Use
o Print copies of books and
journals
o Reference Librarian

7. http://www.youthlearn.org/learning/planning/lesson-
planning/how-inquiry/how-inquiry

8. Research Plan
•

9. Encyclopedias
• Background Reading & Brainstorming
• Develop the topic
• Focus the topic

10. Finding Information
What’s out there
• Books
• Newspapers/Magazines
• Journals
• Websites

11. Books
 Good for background
 Comprehensive
Information may not be as
current as what you would
find in journal articles or
web sites.
That might or might not be
important.

12. “Scholarly” Journals
• Periodicals used by researchers
to share their findings with one
another and the public.
• They contain articles describing
new research or ideas written
in a formal manner that
includes background
information, methods used,
results/interpretation and
significance.
• Research articles are peer-
reviewed

13. Scholarly Journals
How do I tell?
• May contain graphs and charts.
• Written by a scholar in the field or
by someone who has done
research in the field. Degrees
attained and institutional
affiliations are often included by
the authors’ names.
• Always cite their sources in the
form of footnotes or
bibliographies
• No glossy pages or pictures

14. Examples of Scholarly Journals

15. Popular Magazines
How do I tell?
• Slick, glossy and attractive in
appearance.
• Lots of graphics (photographs,
drawings, etc.).
• Articles are usually very short,
written in simple language .
• Generally little depth to the
content of these articles.

16. Examples of Popular Magazines

17. Both are
considered
scholarly

18. Finding Books
Use the CATALOG to find
books
http://library.mercer.edu
When you search the
catalog, you will find books
that are located in the Swilley
Library or another Mercer
Library.

20. Subject Headings Exercise
What is inside all three cans?

21. A long keyword search
(soft drink) or pop or soda or cola or (carbonated beverage)
Search

23. AND
A AND B

24. OR
A OR B

25. NOT
A NOT B

31. Number of books (or government
documents) found with this keyword

32. Is this book here now?

34. Links to other books
about your topic.

40. Finding Articles
To find Articles, use a database or
index
• A database is a collection of
citations for articles or similar
information
• Some databases will contain full
texts of articles
• Some databases are specific
(such as Education or Business)
and some cover many subjects

41. Finding Articles
• Find full-text articles OR
– Find a citation
– Check to see if your library
has the journal in another
database – If not, we can
order it for you via
InterLibrary Loan.

42. To find articles, choose a database.

46. Limit the date range by
sliding this tab.

47. Full text is available.
Click on this link
Full text is not
available here, but
maybe we can get it
another way.

53. Do not
• Share your MUID and
password with others.
• Upload an article to a
webpage that others can
access.
• Copy and paste sections
of an article into your
paper without using
quotations.

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61. END