Tools & Tutorials for Library Research

J. Eugene Smith Library Resources

Getting Started
Detailed Information About the J. Eugene Smith Library's Resources

Basic Library Research, J. Eugene Smith Library (PDF)

Finding Scholarly/Peer-Reviewed Journals & Articles, J. Eugene Smith Library 

Finding Primary and Secondary Sources, J. Eugene Smith Library

Library Database Tutorials

EBSCOhost

JSTOR

LexisNexis

EBSCOhost Tutorials

- Download Flash

Basic Searching for Academic Libraries (runtime 3.4 minutes)

Advanced Search with Guided Style (runtime 4 min)    (PowerPoint, 1.19 mb)

Advanced Search with Single Find Field; Creating Search and Journal Alerts (runtime 3 minutes)

Visual Search (runtime 2.20 minutes)

The My EBSCOhost Personalization Folder (runtime 3.45 minutes)    (PowerPoint, 548 kb)

How to Create Search and Journal Alerts (runtime 3 minutes)    (PowerPoint, 1.53 mb)

Business Source Premier

Business Searching: Basic Searching and Browsing (runtime 2.5 minutes)

CINAHL

CINAHL Plus with Full Text: In-Depth Review (runtime 4.5 minutes)    (PowerPoint, 940 kb)

CINAHL Plus with Full Text Advanced Searching (runtime 8.5 minutes)    (PowerPoint, 2.05 mb)

JSTOR

Basic Search Tutorial: Click on the link for Flash or Windows Media (below) to start tutorial.

Learn how to use Basic Search, Advanced Search, and how to refine search results. (2 minutes)

Flash |  Windows Media

Browse and Article Locator Tutorial: Click on the link for Flash or Windows Media (below) to start tutorial.

Learn how to locate a known article in the archive using the browse or article locator features . (2.5 minutes)

Flash |  Windows Media 

My JSTOR
Learn how to manage citations through a MyJSTOR account. (3 minutes)

Flash |  Windows Media

Which media version should I select to watch the tutorials?

• Macromedia Flash – recommended for users with a high-speed internet connection
• Windows Media Player – recommended for PC users

LexisNexis

LexisNexis Academic Tutorial

LexisNexis Selecting Sources Tutorial

LexisNexis Working with Results Tutorial

LexisNexis Caselaw Summaries & Headnotes Tutorial

LexisNexis Easy Search Guide (PDF)

LexisNexis Results Clustering Guide (PDF)

LexisNexis® Statistical User Guide (PDF)

Research 101

QuickStudy: Library Research Guide

Referencing good information sources can strengthen your speech or research paper. You can access information in books, articles and web sources through library research, but sometimes it's difficult to know where and how to look for the information you need. Quickstudy will help find quality information sources by guiding you through the process of conducting effective library research. QuickStudy comprises eight modules, each of which contains several short lessons (usually a page or more in length). These modules will familiarize you with strategies for approaching research as well as introduce you to some of the computer resources you will use as you research your topic. Quickstudy includes information on:

• the process of choosing a topic
• designing a research strategy
• finding different kinds of sources such as articles, books and internet sites
• evaluating sources
• essential citation information for sources used in a bibliography.

Quickstudy Lesson 1: Strategies for Long Papers

Quickstudy Lesson 2: Strategies for Short Papers and Speeches

Quickstudy Lesson 3: Keeping Records of Your Research

The Seven Steps of the Research Process, Olin and Uris Libraries, Cornell University

Choose the Best Search for Your Information Need, NoodleTools

The Guide to Grammar and Writing, Dr. Charles Darling, Capital Community College, Hartford, Connecticut.

Guide to Grammar and Style, Jack Lynch, Associate Professor, English, Rutgers University, Newark.

Glossary of Research Terms, Research and Documentation in the Electronic Age, Fourth Edition, Diana Hacker.

Beyond the Walls of Your Library: How to Find Books and More, Western New York Library Resources Council
This tutorial helps you to:

• gain an understanding of how libraries share books and materials.
• use WorldCat, an online tool used to search for and identify available materials.
• learn how Interlibrary Loan allows you to physically borrow materials from other libraries when our library doesn't have what you need.

The tutorial requires Flash 6 or higher and speakers to hear the dialogue.

• Flash Tutorial with Games
• Flash Tutorial without Games

Assignment Calculator

Need help getting your assignment on track? You can use the University of Minnesota's Assignment Calculator, a tool designed to help you structure and manage your projects by breaking the research process into discrete steps with deadlines. It also provides links to online resources which can assist you in executing each step. Remember, however, that research is often NOT a linear process; allow extra time for topic redirections, Interlibrary Loan arrivals, false starts, backtracking, technical difficulties, etc. Here's how it works...

• Simply enter the date you plan to begin work on your assignment and the date it's due in the spaces provided.
• Select your general subject area from the handy drop down menu.
• Click "How do I get it Done" and that's it!

The calculator returns a painless twelve-step plan to guide you through the process of getting it all finished and submitted on time, complete with links that expand on certain steps, connect you directly to the most relevant library tools or offer links to helpful assistance.

Email Reminders are limited to University of Minnesota students, faculty and staff. Do print out a copy of your plan or copy and paste it into your organizer. If you need help with your assignment, please come to/call the Reference Desk:

• On-campus: X54699
• Off-campus Toll-free Number: 1-877-587-8693. Ask for the Reference Desk.

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