Off Campus Access
FLITE's subscription databases are available to all current Ferris students, faculty, and staff. When you access a database from off campus you will need to login using your Library barcode number (located on the back of your Ferris ID) and a PIN (last four digits of your social security number or your birthdate in mmddyy format). If you experience problems logging on, please call (231) 591-2669 or (800) 4-FERRIS (ext. 2669), or stop by the Check Out Desk at the Library. Students enrolled off-site can have the books mailed to their home address. Please use our Document Delivery service to order book materials.
Requests can be made electronically through the InterLibrary Loan (ILL) Request form.
Additional information can be found at Off Campus Database Access.
Finding Books
To find books that FLITE owns, try using a Subject search in the Online Catalog. Many subject headings are intuitive, but if nothing comes up, either try a synonym as a Subject search or use a Keyword search. Students enrolled off-site can have the books mailed to their home address. Students enrolled off-site can have the books mailed to their home address. Please use our Document Delivery service to order book materials.
Research Guides:
A Variety of Research Guides are available for subject searching. The PRINT guides provide resources in print at FLITE, while the WEB guides provide electronic resources available at FLITE. One which might be of intrest is the Social Work Guide, available both in Print and Web.
Finding Journal Articles
To find journal articles on a particular topic, it's necessary to use one or more of the databases available on the FLITE Web site. These databases cumulatively provide indexing to thousands of journal titles. A few of the databases provide full-text (content of the articles is found directly within the database), but most only provide citations (description of where the article originally appeared in print).
Some of the databases we recommend you try include:
ERIC
JSTOR
Lexis-Nexis Statistical Universe
PsycINFO
Social Science Abstracts
Social Work Abstracts
Social Science Databases at FLITE
General Databases:
General OneFileMore databases can be accessed through the A-Z Database List
Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe
WilsonSelectPlus
Internet Resources:
Fed Stats
Government Statistics
U.S. Census Bureau
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
National Priorities Project
Child Stats
Getting the Article
If HTML or PDF full text options are available, click the link to go directly to the full text.
If full text is not an option:
Once you've found citations
relevant to the topic you're working with and you need to
get a copy of the articles, you'll need to verify whether
FLITE owns the particular journal in which each article
was published. Many databases now have a link called "Find
It",
which, by clicking on it, will give you the range of options
available for document retrieval (print, microform, online). If the full text of the
article is available, you will be able to find the article by clicking on the link.
If the only message you see is "Request document via
Interlibrary Loan";, you will need to order the article. By clicking on the link in the window provided,
you will be directed to a blank Interlibrary Loan form to
be filled out. Sometimes the Find It button will provide a link to the Online Catalog. This indicates that the journal is found in FLITE's print collection.
If you are off-campus and can't come to FLITE, simply order the article through Interlibrary Loan.
To look up whether FLITE owns a particular journal, use the Find a Periodical database to search for the journal title. Remember to use the journal title not the article title for your search.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the act of presenting another's work or ideas
as your own. Plagiarism is often unintentional, but it occurs whenever you use someone else's ideas
or words without giving them credit. It can be obvious - purchasing a term paper or turning
in a project done by someone else. It can be putting other's ideas into your own words. A simple rule:
do not copy text from Web pages or other sources without identifying the origional author. In this description,
I am using ideas presented in the FLITE Online Tutorial called PILOT.
The tutorial provides these four
tips to avoid Plagiarism:
For more information about Plagiarism, please explore the Plagiarism webpage provided by the
Ferris State University Writing Center.
Citation Style Guides
Whenever you are quoting or using information from a source, you must credit or cite that source. Failure to do so is plagiarism which can lead to expulsion from the University. The following links provide information on how to use MLA: Style Guides, which you can access from the library home page by choosing:
Reference > General Reference > Citation Style Guides > Citation Style Guide: MLA (PDF)...
MLA List of References
More examples of how to cite different types of sources using the MLA format.
Reference > General Reference > Citation Style Guides > Citation Style Guide: APA (PDF)...
APA List of References
More examples of how to cite different types of sources using the APA format.
Copies of the full-length APA manual (Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th ed.) and MLA Handbook (MLA handbook for writers of research papers) are found in the Ready Reference section on Floor 1 of the library near the South Service Reference Desk.
If you have any questions about what we went over during the library
visit, Email Jodi Shepherd.
Don't forget, you are welcome to come to the South Service Desk and ask for help at any time. You can also call us 231-591-3602 or chat with us.
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Last Update: September 25, 2006