Tutorials and guides help you get started with your research, including how to find scholarly journals and utilize library resources and services.
Peabody Library - Vanderbilt University
Provides general criteria that can be used to distinguish between popular magazines, trade magazines, and scholarly journals.
Popular vs. Scholarly Articles: A Guide and Tutorial
A guide, tutorial, and quiz that helps you determine if an article is scholarly or popular (University of Arizona).
Guides for doing research in a particular subject area (Art, Education, Social Work, etc.) or for a specific course.
Points of View Reference Center
Presents multiple sides on current controversial topics. Each topic may include topical essays, supporting articles, primary source documents, images, and videos.
Provides online access to over 500 reference books (encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, etc.) in all subject areas. This is the premier place to look up a quick fact or to search for background information on a research topic.
SAGE Reference Online
Provides access to 90 full-text specialized encyclopedias that offer excellent background information on a topic.
Search the library's physical collection (books, movies, music, government publications, etc.) along with online journals and e-books to which the Library subscribes -- all in a single search.
Academic Search Premier (all topics) from EBSCO
Full-text articles in biology, chemistry, education, engineering, humanities, physics, psychology, religion and theology, sociology, etc. Tip: Click the check box to limit to Academic (Peer Reviewed) Journals.
Fulltext of 300+ U.S. and international news sources. Includes the New York Times (1999 to present), The Times of London (index and abstract only), the Wall Street Journal (1984 to present), and the StarTribune of Minneapolis (1986 to present).
One of the most reputable news sources in the country. Search and print full-text articles from 1995 to the present.
Citation: A (Very) Brief Introduction - a video from NCSU Libraries
- Effectively integrating source material from the experts with your own ideas and accurately referencing that source material can lend support to the argument in your paper and credibility to your reputation as a maturing professional in your field
- Providing complete references enables readers who are interested in your topic to find out more about your research
- Just as you expect to receive credit for your work, other authors expect and deserve credit for theirs
If you do not cite your sources you are being academically dishonest and guilty of plagiarism, a violation of SCSU's Student Code of Conduct:
Multiple scholarly organizations and publications have developed systems for documenting and citing sources. The American Psychological Association (APA) and Modern Language Association (MLA) are two of the most common. Many good online guides are available to help you properly cite sources:
American Psychological Association (APA)
- APA Citation Style from Long Island University
- APA Documentation from the University of Wisconsin
- APA Formatting and Style Guide from OWL at Purdue
- MLA Citation Style from Long Island University
Color-coded examples of how to document your sources (i.e. books, journal articles, newspaper articles, etc.) in your works cited page.
- MLA Documentation from the University of Wisconsin
Provides examples for parenthetical citations and works cited lists in MLA style.
- MLA Formatting and Style Guide (2009 Update) (OWL at Purdue)
MLA (Modern Language Association) style is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities, including English. This resource offers examples for the general format of MLA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the Works Cited page.
For additional tools and resouces, consult the library's Citation Styles guide.
Student Study Rooms
Reserve student study rooms for group work, available on the second and third floors of the Library.
Equipment Check Out
VIsit the Circulation Desk to borrow digital cameras, camcorders, projectors, and other equipment.
Place a hold on the books you want using the Library’s Books and More catalog, and Husky Fetch will fetch them for you.
Make an appointment with a writing tutor.
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
READY REF LB2369 .G53 2016
Official manual for MLA documentation. Print copies of the eighth edition are available in the Ready Reference section of the library, 1st floor. For online examples, see the MLA Style Center's "What's New in the Eighth Edition."
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA)
READY REF BF76.7 .P83 2010 Check MnPALS Catalog for Location and Availability
Official manual for APA documentation. Available in print only, in the Ready Reference section of the library, 1st floor. Latest edition is 6th edition, 2010.