MMBA 601 - Hamel
Reminder - PILOT Tutorial
- Be sure you login as a student and not as a guest.
- Do not try to take PILOT from any links within FerrisConnect.
Off-Campus Access
(FLITE Distance Education Library Services)
Every person in this class will be off-campus at some time during your coursework. Our Distance Education website should help you with any questions you may have about reaching FLITE from wherever you are. If you have any questions, please contact our Distance Education librarian, Stacy Anderson, at 591-3635.
Finding Journal Articles for Research
To find journal articles on a particular topic, use the Deep Web Databases available on the FLITE Web site. Some databases provide full-text (content of the articles is found directly within the database), but others only provide citations (description of where the article originally appeared in print) or abstracts (summaries of the article). Citations and abstracts should not be used in research papers. You may need to search for the full-text articles.
Some of the databases we recommend you try include:
General Databases
Academic
OneFile
Access World News
WilsonSelectPlus
Business Databases
ABI/Inform Global
Business and Company Resource Center
Technical Database
or click
here to see all of our Databases listed by name.
Getting the Article
If you can find only a citation or abstract of an article, you may need to use the Find It link which will try to find the article in full text. When you click on Find It, you will reach a new page listing one or more options if the full text of the article is available in another FLITE database, or it may tell you to look for copies in print, microfiche or microfilm in the building. Click on the red "Go" button to find how to access the article.

If the only message you see is "InterLibrary Loan", you will need to use our free InterLibrary Loan service because Ferris does not own this journal
or resource.
InterLibrary Loan (ILL) and MELCAT
InterLibrary Loan (ILL) is a free service provided by FLITE to provide articles and books that FLITE does not own. You'll probably reach ILL when searching for articles in FLITE databases, and the "Find It" button lists ILL as your only option. The first time you use ILL, you will need to register with ILLiad, our InterLibrary Loan service. Click on the words "First Time Users" to register. You will complete a form, creating a username and password which will be used for future requests. Article requests are emailed to you in 5-10 business days (ferris email preferred), and books will be mailed to you if you are an off-campus student. On-campus students may pick up books at the Checkout Desk.
MelCat is another library service throughout Michigan which works with hundreds of participating Libraries to deliver books your particular library may not own. FLITE provides this step-by-step tutorial.
Find Journals
To look up whether FLITE
owns a particular journal if you are using
a citation found in a source other than one of the online
databases, use either the
Catalog-Journals tab or the Find--Journals selection from the drop-down menus on the FLITE homepage to reach Find
a Periodical and search for the journal title.
Remember to use the journal title, not the article title
for your search.
If FLITE Has the Journal . . .
If you have reached the
record in the Library Catalog for a journal title, look at
the information provided at the top. This will tell you which years (volumes)
and what format we have. FLITE doesn't always have complete
runs of journal titles, so be sure that the library has
the corresponding volume number or year from your citation.
If FLITE Doesn't Have
the Journal . . .
Or if You Are a Distance Education Student...
If the library doesn't own the journal or have the correct volume of the journal you need, or you live too far from FLITE to come retrieve the article in print, you can request articles via Interlibrary Loan. See "InterLibrary Loan" above. If FLITE owns the item and you are requesting it because you are off-campus, please put this in the "notes field" of your InterLibrary Loan request.
Finding Books and eBooks in FLITE for Research
Books are the best way to gather background, gain a general understanding of your topic, and then explore subjects in-depth. eBooks are another Deep Web source and FLITE provides more than 35,000 titles which can be very helpful for off-campus students.. You should be choosing eBooks instead of selecting information found in abstacts or excerpts from Google Books.
Finding Books on Your Topic - Print or Electronic - Using the Library Catalog
To find books in FLITE, try using a Subject search in the Library Catalog. Many subject headings are intuitive, but if nothing comes up, use a Keyword search. Remember that circulating FLITE books (in print) will be mailed to you free of charge. Your only cost is the return postage via UPS. See our section on Document Delivery/InterLibrary Loan. Requests can be made electronically through the InterLibrary Loan (ILL) Request form. You'll need to register as a First Time User when sending your first InterLibrary Loan request.
Using Electronic Books from FLITE - Ebrary (the largest number of titles in the eBooks collection at FLITE)
- Turn off your pop-up blocker.
- Allow automatic download of the plugin that will become the book "reader".
- Set up a user name and password so you can save searches and take notes.
- Skim the forward, introduction, and table of contents to gain general sense of topic.
- Save your search by either printing your material (printing limits apply), emailing the citation to yourself, or saving the citation to a bibliographic database like RefWorks or Citation Machine.
Using Electronic Books from FLITE - NetLibrary (a smaller collection of Ebooks at FLITE)
- You can set up a free account to use NetLibrary from any computer.
- Call the Oval Information Desk at 591-3602 if you have problems.
Online Reference Resources
Reference Books in digital format can be reached at the Online Reference Resources page. You might try the Business and Economics subject heading.
Internet, World Wide Web, and Search Tool Handouts
Search Engines, Directories, MetaSearch Engines and the Invisible Web
Search Engines Table from University of California at Berkeley
Recommended Subject Directories from University of California at Berkeley
MetaSearch Engines from University of California at Berkeley
Invisible or Deep Web
The Four Content Layers of the World Wide Web
Finding Information: Which Search Engine to Use?
Evaluating Web Sites
Criteria for Evaluating Web Sites
Web Page Evaluation Checklist from University of California at Berkeley
Websites for Internet Evaluation
Managing Citations
Documenting sources is a major part of your research work. FLITE has provided this Citations webpage for your review.
Research Assistance
If you have any questions regarding using the library for research, Email Kristy Motz.
If you would like to make an appointment for a one-on-one research consultation with a librarian, use this online form.
Don't forget, you are welcome to come to the Oval Information Desk and ask for help at any time. You can also call us 231-591-3602 or chat with us.
Class Powerpoint
Click here for Class PowerpointLast Update: September 12, 2009
