RMLS 242 - Raymond
Finding Journal Articles
To find journal articles on a particular topic, use any of the databases available from the FLITE Web site. These databases provide access to thousands of scholarly journals and the articles published in them.
For this class, these databases are probably your best bets:
- ERIC - ERIC is short for Educational Resources Information Center. This database covers education and related fields from 1966-present.
- Social Science Abstracts - Look here for journal articles, interviews, obituaries, book reviews, and biographies. A wide range of social science fields are covered. Note that Wilson OmniFile Full Text Select (aka Wilson Select) articles are also included in this database by default.
Suggestions to retrieve better results:
- Combine key phrases with AND or OR.
- If you need more scholarly (peer-reviewed) articles, check the Peer Reviewed box on the search screen, or click on the tab of your results that is devoted to only peer-reviewed articles.
Note: In ERIC you will have to go to the Advanced Search tab to be able to use the Peer Reviewed check box.
Finding articles when there's no Full-Text link
The Find-It links (also known as SFX or Check For Available Full Text links) will tell you if FLITE has access to an article, and link you to the article if we do.
Click here for a video tutorial on how to use Find-It links.
How do you know if it's scholarly?
Not everything in ERIC or Social Science Abstracts is scholarly (peer-reviewed). If you need peer-reviewed sources, the easiest way to get around this is to check the Peer Reviewed check box and limit your search to only peer-reviewed resources. If you've already found an article and you don't know how to tell whether it's from a scholarly journal, check out our online tutorials on how to find out:
- Learn to use Ulrich's Periodicals Directory to find out if the journal is peer reviewed.
- Learn to use Google to find out if a journal is peer reviewed.
Finding a specific article
If you know a specific article that you want, but aren't sure what database it might be in, you can use the Citation Linker on the Journals tab of the FLITE homepage.
Click here for a video tutorial on locating and using the Citation Linker.
Finding Books or Journal Articles in Print
To find print journals (not articles, but the journals themselves) or books, search the library catalog. If you want your results to show only journals and not books or dvds or anything else, use the link that says FSU Periodicals in the gray box labeled Location. You will have to scroll down to see this box.
Need help searching the library catalog? Learn how here.
FLITE's print journals from the past 10 years are on the second floor, and are alphabetized by title. For journals more than 10 years old, you'll need to check the lower level (below the first floor).
There are photocopiers in FLITE if you wish to make copies of articles you need for your classes.
If FLITE Doesn't Own What You Need
If you're looking for a book FLITE doesn't own, you can request it through MeLCat. It usually takes 3 - 5 business days for the book to arrive.
If you're looking for an article FLITE doesn't own, you can request it through Interlibrary Loan. We'll e-mail you when it comes in, usually within a week of your ordering it.
Note: An item requested via interlibrary loan could possibly take up to 20 days to get here. Plan ahead if you think you might need this service!
Need demographic information?
If you're looking for demographics, check out these websites:
Statistical Abstract of the United States
Note in particular: "Arts, Recreation & Travel" in left menu.
County and City Data Book
Click on listings under "Selected Features from the 14th edition of the County and City Data Book"
Recreation & Tourism Statistics Update
A companion website to highly-recommended book below - Outdoor Recreation for 21st Century America - A Report to the Nation : The National Survey on Recreation and the Environment
American Fact Finder
State and Local sources such as Michigan Local and Regional Goverment
See "Regional Planning Organizations."
Seidman College of Business Information Services (Grand Valley State University)
Click on "Demographic Profile".
Find schools in Michigan here: Michigan School Enrollments
I selected information at the county level. You can break down even further by school district and then by grade level.
Contact: Emily Mitchell / Email / Phone: 231-591-3730 / Office: FLITE 140F
Don't forget, you are welcome to come to the Oval Information Desk and ask for help any time. You can also call us 231-591-3602, chat with us, or sign up for a one-on-one appointment.
Last update: February 15, 2010