Searching Resources

Searching Resources

The following tips and tutorials are designed to help library patrons learn the basics of searching the library catalog and internet as well as finding information in the online databases.

Tips for Searching

Internet Detective: Evaluate the quality of websites and take care when selecting online information sources in university or college work.

Evaluating Websites: Learn the basics to selecting authoritative and reliable sources on the internet.

Boolean Searching: Outlines the Boolean operators used for searching; AND, OR, NOT.

Effective Searching: Teaches the basics for searching including Boolean operators, parenthetical searching, proximity operators, wildcards, truncation, and searchable fields

Citing Sources

List of Styles: by hackerhandbooks. This extensive list includes APA, MLS, Chicago Style as well as many others used in the sciences and business fields.

Basics of APA Style: a tutorial from the American Psychological Association. This slide show presentation requires speakers or a headset.

Chicago Manual of Style "Quickie Tutorial" : prepared by the publishers.

General citation information: Word Document, no specific style guide used.

Easy Bib: EasyBib is an automatic bibliography composer. When you have sources you need to cite properly for your research paper, EasyBib will help you format your sources quickly and accurately. Millions of students a month use EasyBib to cite sources for their papers. Can create bibliographies in MLA, APA, Chicago, or Turabian.

Database Tutorials

EBSCOhost Databases:

• General tutorials for Basic and Advancedsearching.

• Selected databases are listed below. Please note, some help topics are in YouTube format.

  • ATLA tutorials: Scripture Tool, Citation Index, and Subject Headings.

  • Business Source Complete

  • eBooks on EBSCO:  Searching and Downloading

  • Medline

  • All tutorials - this page contains links to all EBSCOhost tutorials.  Tutorials are  offered in video, PowerPoint or Flash presentations. Please note: Blakley Library does not have a subscription to all databases listed.

Gale Group Databases: 

• General tutorials for Basic and Advanced searching. 

• Gale Virtual Reference Library tutorial (ebooks).

JSTOR: Links to all JSTOR training.

Project Muse: Please note, some help topics are in YouTube format.

• Index to all help topics User Guide

• Project Muse citation guide ProQuest Databases: Flash is required to view most tutorials

• General tutorial for Basic and Advanced Searching