This guide is an introduction to the resources at Auraria Library. It points to the best tools to find books and journal articles on your topic. Keep in mind that the reference librarians are here to help. If you can't find what you need, just ask for help!

Getting started - the research topic

Your research question is the key to reducing frustration and stress. It needs to be well focused and specific. The topic, pathology would be too broad, while comparing the primary symptoms in two specific lung diseases would be much easier to research. You can use the library to come up with your research problem. Search Skyline for subject encyclopedias and browse the current periodicals area to see what other researchers are doing.

Tip: in the discussion section of many research articles the author proposes further areas of inquiry. This means they are giving you ideas!

Quick help

Background info on your topic

Reference books such as specialized encyclopedias and dictionaries are great for finding out just what you need to support your thesis or collect background material for your research. You can search Skyline using your term and combine it with terms like encyclopedias or handbooks to pull up specialized encyclopedias (example: diseases and encyclopedias). This also applies to "dictionaries" and "video".

• Health & Wellness Research Center, Thomson-Gale, online & their medical encyclopedia
• Gale Virtual Reference Library online
• The American Heritage® Dictionary, 4th Edition, or in the Library at REF PE1628 .A6227 2002
• Merriam-Webster Online, or in the Library at REF PE1628 .M36 1998b
• InfoPlease.com, at the Desk Reference in the Library at REF HF5003 .I5
• Bartleby.com a stellar collection of general reference books online.

Auraria Library's Online Resources and Databases

Article Databases and Indexes You can search for articles using databases or indexes. Many provide the full text of the article while some databases display a link to library holdings or a full text search.

• Biomedical Research databases. Look for Medline and Biosis.
• Health and Behavioral Science databases. PubMed is one of the best sources along with the Health Reference Center Academic.
• Multidisciplinary databases. Academic Search Premier and Expanded Academic Index ASAP are general databases that provide coverage of psychology journals. Many articles are full text. You may need to limit to "peer reviewed" or "refereed publications" when searching for psychology research articles.

Finding articles that are not full text online Many scholarly journal articles are not full text online. Others may be available full text, but not through PubMed. Use Goldrush and Skyline to determine availability of the article. Some journals are only available online, these will be indicated in Skyline (example). Other journals are only available in the library. These are on the first floor Periodicals area.

• Goldrush - provides links to databases that index or have full text of the journal.
• Periodical Title search in Skyline - local journal holdings and online links if available.
• interlibrary loan - If the library does not have access to the article, use InterLibrary Loan (ILL) to request a copy. The article will be mailed to you.

Some specifics

1. Identify the title of the journal. Be sure not to confuse this with the title of the article.
2. Search Skyline by Periodical Title (see the left column of the Library homepage). If Auraria Library has the journal, a record will appear that shows complete information (status, location, call number, format). If we don't have it, go to the next step.
3. Search Gold Rush by 'Journal Title'. If Auraria Library owns a database that has full text from the journal, a record will appear that shows complete information (database name and a link to the database). If we don't have it, go to the next step.
4. Request the article through interlibrary loan form (ILLiad). This works really well, they mail you the article for free to your home. The downside is that it might take a week or two. So, give yourself time. If you don't have the time, go to Prospector and determine which library, if any, owns the journal locally. You can go to that library and make a copy of that article. Remember there are two excellent special collections in Denver that cover alternative medicine.

eBooks Electronic books that you can read on your computer. Find eBooks owned by Auraria Library by using Skyline. (To read NetLibrary books from off-campus: sign up for a NetLibrary account from anywhere on campus. If you live outside the Denver metro area email the distance education librarian: distance at auraria dot edu.) Use the eBooks subject guide to locate other sources of eBooks. Click here for a few relevant eBooks found through Skyline (available in NetLibrary). Also Harrison's Manual of Medicine.

Non-Auraria Library Resources

In any library Look for information on diseases in your local university, special or public library. Try browsing in the following sections of the library.

RB is Pathology

• RB1-17 General works
• RB24-33 Pathological anatomy and histology
• RB37-56.5 Clinical pathology. Laboratory technique
• RB57 Post-mortem examination. Autopsies
• RB127-150 Manifestations of disease
• RB151-214 Theories of disease. Etiology. Pathogenesis

Local Denver Resources There is a major medical library in Denver. You may use it for a membership fee. Look for similar libraries in your area. Try a medical libraries list or a libraries directory. Try a search on "medic* OR health".

• University of Colorado Health Science Center Denison Memorial Library (4200 East 9th, Denver, CO 80262, phone: 303-315-7460) - A major medical library just east of Colorado Boulevard. Individuals may use the materials there or purchase a short term use pass that will allow them to check out materials.

Tip: If you are searching on the Internet, remember the Library search tips and think about the reliability and accuracy of the information.

Associations

• College of American Pathologists, CAP
• American Board of Pathology, ABP
• American Society for Clinical Pathology, ASCP
• Google Directories, Yahoo Health Directories

Government Information and Regulators

• National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)
• Colorado Department of Health Care Policy information
• U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Fact pages

Electronic Journals

E-journals are usually paperless journals that may or may not be freely available and may or may not be peer-reviewed. Use Journal Finder in Skyline or OAIster.

Other Resource Lists

• NIH Biomedicine and Infomatics
• Alternative Medicine Homepage

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is very easy to avoid but just as easy to do! "Plagiarism: What It Is and How To Avoid It" created by the Indiana University Campus Writing Center provides a clear explanation of the subject.

Citation styles

Style manuals are tools for giving credit to the original authors. Use this QUICK ONLINE GUIDE to citing styles (B. Davis Schwartz Memorial Library at Long Island University). The two main citing styles in use for your subject are MLA an APA. Check your sylabus for the preferred style.

• AMA - American Medical Association manual of style : a guide for authors and editors. Baltimore : Williams & Wilkins, c1998, 9th edition. The print version of this is not available at Auraria Library. Click here to see other locations in the Front Range.
  • Long Island University
  • A similar styleguide is the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals
• MLA - MLA handbook for writers of research papers / Joseph Gibaldi. New York : Modern Language Association of America, 1999. REF LB2369 .G53 1999
  • Purdue University Online Writing Lab
  • Long Island University
• APA - Publication manual of the American Psychological Association. Washington, DC : American Psychological Association, 1994. REF DESK BF 76.7 P82 1994
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center
  • Purdue University Online Writing Lab