Cortland Composition Library Instruction Program: C.L.I.P.
Introduction:
Your English instructor will be giving you topics for a paper or research assignment, or will help you narrow the research topic you select.
S/he will expect you to do some research by reading articles on a specific topic.
Copyright law and plagiarism: The written works of an author are his or her intellectual property. You must give credit to an author if you are directly or indirectly using his or her ideas.
Be sure to check with your instructor regarding journals versus magazines! Do you know the differences between popular magazines and scholarly, research or academic journals?
Overview: aka The Big Picture
- Instructor gives or suggests a topic. Sometimes the topic is general or very specific. In general, the instructor usually expects the student to narrow the topic to a manageable size topic that can be covered thoroughly within the assignment.
- Choose the correct database(s). There are two categories of
databases:general and subject-specific.
GENERAL DATABASES cover more than one academic subject area:- Wilson OmniFile (full text)
- Expanded Academic Index (some full text)
FULL-TEXT DATABASES: contain complete articles (all the words you would find in the article in the print form such as a journal or magazine). Full-text databases usually do not contain pictures, data tables or other visual aids that a print article may contain. Using a full-text database, you can usually email the complete article to yourself.
Examples include:
- Expanded Academic
- Wilson OmniFile
Examples of databases with abstracts include:
- Social Sciences Abstracts
- Leisure Recreation and Tourism Abstracts
- Select articles that are specific to your topic. EVALUATE what you find by checking the Subject Field &/or Descriptors and by carefully reading the ABSTRACT.
- If you cannot get the article online as a full-text article from one of
our databases, check to see:
- If the library owns the journal, magazine or newspaper in which the article is printed. Click on the Periodicals Holding List link on the library's homepage.
- How the library stores the past issues: bound paper, microfilm, microfiche. Click on the Periodicals Holding List link on the library's homepage, run a search, and click on "SUNY Cortland Print Holdings".
- Go to the third floor Periodicals Room to get the article. The Periodicals Room is located up a flight of stairs beyond the reference desk on the second floor. You may have to use a microfilm or microfiche reader. Periodicals Room staff can assist you.
- Cite the article in your paper using the citation style or format (APA, MLA, or Turabian/Chicago Manual of style) required by your instructor.
How to Access the online databases at SUNY Cortland's Memorial Library:
- Click on Memorial Library's homepage (http://library.cortland.edu)
- Go to the heading Databases (if you are using an on-campus computer in library or dorm)
- Off campus students clink on Off Campus Access link and follow directions. Your ID number your C# or Social Security Number.
- Click on All Databases
- Choose appropriate initial letter of the database you wish to use. (E for Expanded Academic)
- Print, Email or Download? The choice is yours!
To print:
hit print icon or, for a PDF, click the print button immediately above the document. Make sure you're at a computer linked to a printer first. If you are in the library, follow the directions on your computer to if you want to print black and white.To Email:
click on email button at top or bottom (sometimes to the side)of the article or citation. You must use your full email address. Example: JessicaStudent@cortland.edu or DantheDragon@firebreath.comTo download:
Click on file at upper left corner of screen. Insert a virus-free disk into the A: drive, click on Save As; type in A:/"thefilename" and hit enter. Make "the filename" easy to remember or, if you save many articles on a topic, you can save them as A:/drugabuse1; A:/drugabuse2 and so on.
*You can also access the databases by clicking on Subject Databases, selecting your subject and then selecting a particular database from the list of health (or education, etc.) databases.*
Remember:
Some Key Terms and Concepts you should know:
- Magazine and Journals: How are they different? Who is the audience? Who are the writers?
- Are the articles long or short, general or specialized?
- Was there research involved in writing the articles? Would it be considered scholarly or not?
- Give an example of a scholarly or professional journal.
- List three popular magazines.
- Who are two people you can ask to help you to determine if something is a magazine or journal?
- Is something with "journal" in the title ALWAYS a journal?
- What is an abstract? Why is it useful?
- What is a database?
- What's a full-text database?
- What's a general database? Give an example of one we reviewed in class.
- What databases could you use to find a complete article online?
- Can you find the periodicals room in the Memorial Library?