Citation

The citation provides the bibliographic information for a source. It lets the reader know who is responsible for creating a source you reference in your project, when it was created, and gives the reader all the information needed to retrieve that source for further examination.

Copyright

This refers to the legal right of the copyright owner to determine how a work may be copied, distributed, displayed, performed, etc. The copyright owner is often the author/creator of the work. To learn more about copyright, check out the Copyright Association of Ireland and the International Federation on Copyright 

Database

An organized collection of stored data which is usually searchable by keywords, subject, topic, language, and/or date. The library subscribes to a range of databases that relate directly to courses offered at DU.

DOI

DOI stands for Digital Object Identifier. A DOI is a string of letters and numbers used to identify an electronic document.  While the web address (URL) where a work is located may change, the DOI remains the same. 

Fair Use

Under certain conditions, a section of a work can be reproduced without asking permission from the copyright owner. These conditions include “criticism or review or for reporting current events or for purposes of research or private study”. However, you must always cite the source!  To learn more about fair use, check out the Copyright Association of Ireland.

Full-Text

This means the whole document is available. 

Journal

A publication, produced periodically on a schedule, that provides research articles in a particular field of study. Journal articles report on primary research and offer insight and evaluation of the results.

Key Word Search

A key word search looks for a particular word or words within a document.  The advantage of key word searching is that it is quick.  The disadvantage is it often produces results unrelated to your topic, and misses those that use a different term. 

OER

"Open Educational Resources" are freely accessible, openly licensed text, media, and other digital assets that may be useful in your research. These resources may or may not be scholarly sources.

Peer Reviewed & Refereed

These terms are often used interchangeably.  Peer reviewed documents have been examined by a panel of experts.  Examples of journals that publish peer reviewed articles include Harvard Law Review and Journal of the American Medical Association. Some instructors may require that you use only peer reviewed sources for your papers.

Subject Search

Libraries and databases categorize items by subject. By searching by subject, you get results that are closely related and it is more efficient than keyword searching.

URL

URL stands Uniform Resource Locator. This is the address of a document on the internet.  For example, the URL for TUS Midwest Library homepage is https://library.lit.ie

Volume and Issue Number

Journals and magazines often number their publications using volume and issue numbers. The volume number includes all issues published within a specific time period (usually a year), and the issues are numbered within the volume. For example, the January 10, 2011 issue of Time is volume 177, issue 1. 

Source: https://lit.libguides.com/how-to-research/research-terms

If EBSCO and Britannica do not have what you are looking for, check try these resources.

• NC LIVE

  • Go to http://www.nclive.org/

  • Click on change library  at the bottom of the page if Carteret is not listed under Your Library.

  • Choose Carteret County Public Library System and click "Next"

  • Type your student ID number for the library card number and click on "Login"

• Google Scholar

• JSTOR

• Scholarpedia

• RefSeek

SUBJECT VS. KEYWORD SEARCHING

The two most common types of searches are keyword and subject. 

Keyword: When you do a keyword search, you are searching for a word or words anywhere in a record.  This is similar to searching Google.

Subject: Catalogs and databases organize information according to subject.  Results of a subject search will have a certain amount of topic similarity.  Different databases/catalogs may use different subjects.

Keyword searches are quicker, but subject searches produce better results. 

Source: https://lit.libguides.com/how-to-research/subject-keywords

• Make a list of related terms

• Use Boolean Operators to include or exclude terms

• Limit the date range, if this option is available

• Search for full-text only, if this option is available

• Use quotation marks if you are searching for a phrase, such as "high stakes testing" or "student dress codes."

• Limit to peer reviewed articles if your assignment requires it

• Try searching by subject

Boolean Operators are words that help you craft better searches. 

Most databases don't understand the natural language we speak and need help understanding what we're looking to find. For this, they require a special set of conventions, including: Logical or Boolean operators, wildcard and truncation symbols, and nesting. Databases and internet search engines apply these rules differently, so check the HELP files in the database you are using to find out more.

Boolean Logic consists of three logical operators (connectors): AND, OR and NOT

Boolean Operator: AND

• Finds sources containing two or more ideas

• The database will only retrieve items containing both words

• AND narrows your search

• You can use AND many times in one search

• Example: electronic AND voting

Boolean Operator: OR

• Use OR when searching for synonyms

• OR tells the database that the words can be used interchangeably, so it will retrieve items containing either word

• OR broadens your search to include synonyms and related words

• You can use OR many times in one search Example: electronic OR internet OR web

Nesting search terms using: parenthesis ( )

• Make a complex search using both AND and OR by placing parentheses around synonyms so you don't have to repeat searches

• Nesting saves you time by allowing you to search multiple synonyms at once

• Example: (electronic OR internet OR web) AND (vote OR voting) - this cuts down on having to do multiple searches for the combinations of keywords

 
Boolean Operator: NOT

• Use NOT when you wish to exclude records from your search results 

• Example: pets NOT dogs

• Be careful when using NOT! The term you want may be present in an important way in results that also contain the word you wish to avoid   

https://youtu.be/sdx9dACkvyI

Source: https://guides.lib.uw.edu/bothell/databasesearchstrategies/boolean

bias

noun - a strong feeling in favor of or against one group of people, or one side in an argument, often not based on fair judgement.

verb - to have an effect on the results of research or an experiment so that they do not show the real situation.

Everyone has bias. Identifying your biases and acknowledging their affect on what you choose to research, why you choose to research, and on how you interpret data will improve your understanding and interpretation of information as you research. This website gives a good overview of types of bias in research. https://www.scribbr.com/category/research-bias/ 

Citation is critical for any researcher. As you learn about topics, cultivate data, or conduct interviews, it is imperative to give credit to your sources. The following list of resources will be helpful as you format your research papers and create appropriate citations.

• START HERE -> Purdue Owl

• NCSU Citation Builder

• Citation Machine

• Scribbr

• APA

• MLA

Make sure that your work is your own. Use these links for useful information.

• Purdue Owl - Plagiarism Overview

• 
  

AI can be a beneficial tool to developing a project. Do not rely on it exclusively. It is not infallible. The links below will help to guide you  if you choose to use this tool. 

• Using ChatGPT and Generative AI

• Citing ChatGPT

• Making use of Generative AI