Reading citations and navigating library resources takes practice, and now you know the basics of tracking down books and articles. Keep these skills in mind when looking for assigned course readings, too! Are there any other ways you see using your new research skills?
Here's a list of basic library services that can support your research:
Have you ever been prompted to pay $30 for an article while searching for information online? While a Boise State student, you have access to a rich online library of databases and full text articles, and you don't need to pay for information sources while researching online. Step 4 will show you how to track down known items in the library, such as articles and books.
A good research strategy is to find additional articles and books using the reference lists at the end of an article or book that you found in step 3. First, you will determine if your source is a journal article or a book (see below).
Here's a citation for a journal article. Note the elements of the citation:
Cheng, G., & Chau, J. (2016). Exploring the relationships between learning styles, online
participation, learning achievement and course satisfaction: An empirical study of a
blended learning course. British Journal of Educational Technology, 47(2), 257-278.
http://dxdoi.org/doi:10.1111/bjet.12243
Here's a citation for a book chapter. Note the elements of the citation:
Fadde, P. J., & Vu, P. (2014). Blended online learning: Benefits, challenges and
misconceptions. In P. R. Lowenthal, C. S. York, & J. C. Richardson (Eds.),
Online learning: Common misconceptions, benefits and challenges
[ProQuest ebrary] (pp. 33-47). Retrieved from
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/boisestate/detail.action?docID=10849461
Two titles - One for the book chapter and one for the book (italicized). Both in sentence case.
Editors names included
Publisher information not included (because it's an ebook)
Once you have identified the citation as a article or a book, the next step is to find it in the library.
Books
Articles
Search for the journal title (not the journal article title) using the Journals tab on the library's website. For example, in the article citation in Step 5a above, you would search for: British Journal of Educational Technology. Then navigate to the year, volume and issue number you need.
Google Scholar
Look at the bibliography or reference list for one book or article that you found in step 3. Use the reference list to find other potential articles or sources on your topic.