This PAGE is by Alicia Maehler in the PurdueNC Library:   Go to: http://www.pnc.edu/ls/

Click on “Search for Articles” to find alphabetical database listing at: http://www.pnc.edu/ls/indexes.html see the link from “proxy services” for details
on whether or not you may access databases/indices from this page…the “proxy services” link is specifically at: http://www.pnc.edu/ls/proxy.html

Today’s focus is on 5 databases that include FULL TEXT:
                                                                            1) Contemporary Authors
                                                                            2) Infotrac (only available on campus)
                                                                            3) OmniFile
                                                                            4) Academic Search Elite
                                                                            5) JSTOR

     Before I explain general navigating tips for the 5 databases above that include FULL TEXT articles, I want to stress that the above databases and any databases/indices on the page at:  http://www.pnc.edu/ls/indexes.html are credible, paid for resources accessible to PNC faculty, staff, and registered students.
     Students are often confused on the difference between using these databases vs. using general information on the Web/Internet.  Students need to understand that for research purposes, Web/Internet sites are usually not as credible as obtaining journal articles online from these 5 paid for databases that include FULL TEXT and other databases at: http://www.pnc.edu/ls/indexes.html
     To further explain the difference between using a general web site vs. using the credible/paid for databases:  Anyone can make an accessible web page on the World Wide Web. Learning to evaluate Web/Internet sites is necessary before using Web sites as resources.  Professors are encouraged to emphasize to their students the use of the 5 databases that contain FULL TEXT listed above.
     It is suggested that professors tell their students that if they are obtaining information from the Web/Internet they need to verify the credibility of the web site. Please see the “Evaluating Web Resources” links at: http://www.pnc.edu/ls/search.html#W

Citing Electronic Resources from Online Databases: Infotrac, INSPIRE, OmniFile—where Online Full Text journal articles were obtained:
     Students often ask the question, “How do I cite this electronic full text journal article resource?” – professors must tell students what citation method students should use for the class.  Citing electronic resources is important because electronic resources that are obtained from Infotrac, Inspire, or Omnifile each have a unique database name and URL (web address) for accurately citing full text electronic journal articles obtained from them.
      I have placed a compilation of “Citation Methods” in a binder on Reserve at the PNC Library.  Ask at the PNC Library Circulation/Service desk to view it while in the library.  Please note that this “Citation Methods” binder on Reserve in the PNC Library mainly pertains to citing the credible, paid for databases (Infotrac, Inspire, OmniFile) where students obtain full text journal articles online.
     Infotrac and Inspire databases give examples of how to cite an electronic resource on the help screens when using their database.  The procedures for citing electronic resources in Infotrac and Inspire databases has been printed off and placed in the “Citation Methods” binder.  Library patrons may receive the same information by viewing the online help screens in Infotrac and Inspire that pertain to citing sources.
     Students who are citing sources from the electronic database OmniFile, may view the instructions on how to do so in the “Citation Methods” binder that is on Reserve at the PNC Library.  If students would prefer to view the online instructions for citing sources from OmniFile, they need to go to the website, http://www.hwwilson.com/Documentation/citationformat.htm

More Information on Citing Electronic Resources
     For information about citing electronic resources that do not include the criteria of citing from Infotrac, Inspire, and OmniFile, see the tabbed section in the “Citation Methods” binder on Reserve at PNC Library:  “Suggested Readings Citation Methods in these books at PNC.” This section in the “Citation Methods” binder on Reserve will highlight citation style manuals available at PNC Library.
    Students who would like to view websites on citing electronic resources in general (in other words, citing general websites that anyone with an Internet connection can get into) may also find a list of websites printed off and placed in the “Citation Methods” binder that is on Reserve at PNC Library. This “Citing Sources” website is specifically at: http://www.lib.purdue.edu/StudentInstruction/citing_sources.html
 
 

Contemporary Authors; Contemporary Literary Criticism; and Dictionary of Literary Biography
Go to: http://www.pnc.edu/ls/

Click on “Search for Articles” to find alphabetical database listing at: http://www.pnc.edu/ls/indexes.html
For example, from this alphabetical database listing, click on the words:

         Contemporary Authors
                                                       (to gain access to the Contemporary Authors database)

Please note: once in the Contemporary Authors database, the library patron also gains access to Contemporary Literary Criticism and the Dictionary of Literary Biography available on the same search screen.

In any search attempt, library patrons should read the “Help” screens offered by the database: in the left blue column, click on “Help,” and review how the database would like library patrons to type in information. Library patrons should view “Search Tips” for additional information on how to use the database. (scroll down through “Help” and “Search Tips”)

Library patrons have the option to search separately each of the 3: Contemporary Authors; Contemporary Literary Criticism; Dictionary of Literary Biography…however, most library patrons will simply choose the option to search ALL 3 of these databases by clicking on “Search All Literature Databases” (includes the desired Contemporary Authors for this upcoming example)

As an example, I will focus on, “Search All Literature Databases” – once that search box is chosen, immediately go to “Return Results,” click on the “down arrow,” and change the number to 50 to ensure all possible search results are shown after a search is typed in…
As an example, I will do an “Author Name” search by typing in:

                            Gilman, Charlotte Perkins     (users should have read “Help” screens
                                                                                  to determine how to type in Author’s Name)

– Once the name is typed in (or whatever other search you’d like to do), click on “Search.” Note how the database pulls up two results: one is in Contemporary Authors and the other is in Dictionary of Literary Biography (both listed under “Source”). To view the result from Contemporary Authors click on the highlighted/underlined link and it takes you to the online full text of the resource from Contemporary Authors for Charlotte Gilman Perkins.  (it is important that students realize that this online version entry from Contemporary Authors  is the exact same thing as the Contemporary Authors print resource, the only difference is that we pay to get Contemporary Authors online rather than in print).  The entry from Contemporary Authors in this example gives biographical information for Charlotte Gilman Perkins as well as information about her “Career,” “Writings,” “Sidelights,” and “Further Readings About the Author.”

To view the other result from Charlotte Gilman Perkins, one can hit the “Back” button on their tool bar OR at the end of the Contemporary Authors entry, one can simply hit the button, “Next Document.” Either way, the library patron may then view the other credible online resource result--the result from the Dictionary of Literary Biography.  As you can see, this resource includes biographical details and critical essays about specific writings of Charlotte Gilman Perkins.  (Once again, it is important to note that we pay to get Dictionary of Literary Biography online rather than in print. The online version and print version are the exact same resource, PNC pays for the online format).

When students cite something electronically from this database that contains Contemporary Authors; Contemporary Literary Criticism; Dictionary of Literary Biography, they need to note which database they received the information for their research from and use the citation method that the professor suggests.  As a suggestion, students may want to use the style manuals available in PNC library that indicate how to cite an electronic resource.  Again, this print list is found in the “Citation Methods” binder on Reserve at PNC Library in the tabbed section of this binder, “Suggested Readings Citation Methods in these books at PNC.”
Another option for students citing electronic resources, is exploring the options on the “Citing Sources” website specifically at: http://www.lib.purdue.edu/StudentInstruction/citing_sources.html
 

Infotrac (can only be used if on PNC campus terminals)

Go to: http://www.pnc.edu/ls/

Under the “Search for Articles” heading, place the mouse over the word,

               Infotrac

and click on it; then click on “Proceed” to get into the Infotrac database.  Library
patrons may also get into Infotrac by going to http://www.pnc.edu/ls/
Then click on “Search for Articles”; then scroll down and click on any of the following headings listed in alphabetical order that will take the user into the “Infotrac” database: Academic Index (Expanded) ASAP; Expanded Academic ASAP; or Infotrac

Again, library patrons should read the Help screens. Once in the Infotrac database, go to the left blue column and click on “Help-Search,” then look again at your left blue column and click on, “Help index” to view the help commands of your choice.  It is recommended that on the “Help index” page that the library patron reads the following links: “Keyword Search,”  “Wildcards,” and “Logical Operators (and, or, not),” and “How do I cite an article?”

Library patrons may proceed with their search by going back to the left blue column and clicking on “Search”

It is suggested that users immediately change the “Subject guide search” to a “Keyword search” because the “Keyword search” is more flexible and allows the use of Wildcards and Logical Operators.  The library patron simply has to go to the left blue column and click on “Keyword search.”

If Limiting features are used in Infotrac
There are many “LIMITING” features on this program. I will point out two of the most popular limiting features on the main search screen page:
? The box next to: “to refereed publications” can be clicked on to limit the search to articles that are considered “refereed” (also known as
      “peer-reviewed,” or “scholarly journals”).  Simply click on the box that is next to
      the words, “to refereed publications,” to make a checkmark in the box.  Some
      professor’s assignments require students to limit their search this way so that
      only articles by experts in the field are chosen.  If this is a requirement for an
      assignment, students should know that they must check this box to limit the
      search to “refereed” journals.
? “BROWSE” (in the gray search box) can be clicked on to limit the search to specific journals.  Professors often enjoy using this feature.  The library patron simply looks at the left blue column and can click on any individual letter of the alphabet that will take them to that specific letter that contains the names of journals that begin with that specific letter. For example, if the library patrons wants to search for articles in the journal, Mediaweek:  Simply click on “M” in the left blue column and all journals indexed in this database that start with the letter “M” will appear on the screen.  The library patron simply has to scroll down to find Mediaweek listed alphabetically and place the mouse over the blank box in front of the title Mediaweek and click on it to make a checkmark in the box. If the library users wants to select another journal (up to 10 journals can be selected if desired); the user simply scrolls up and goes back to the left blue column and clicks on the first letter of the first word for the next journal they want to search and proceeds in a similar fashion to how they chose Mediaweek.  Once all selections are made, the user simply has to go back to the left blue column and click on, “Submit selections” to take them back to their search screen and then type in their search terms in the empty “Search” box on the main screen and click the gray “Search” box to begin the search…with this limit of selecting specific journal titles, Infotrac will only retrieve results from the journal(s) selected.

     If Limiting features are NOT used in Infotrac
     If limiting features are not required for an assignment, the library patron should make
     sure all limits are removed and we will proceed with an example of a basic “Keyword
     search.”
     As an example of a  “Keyword search,” type in the words

                     endangered species

     in the blank search box and the click on the “Search” gray box.  A list of many results
     are retrieved.  Results that state “Text…” as the first word mean that this is an article
     that is a FULL TEXT online journal article (the same as what a person would get if
     they had the print journal article in front of them; the only difference is that it is paid
     for in the online format).

     If a result has the words “Citation” or “Abstract” below the result entry, the
     library patron is NOT getting the FULL TEXT of those entries. This is when the
     patron must check the PNC online catalog or the PNC print list of print journals
     available at PNC library.   If PNC library owns the journal article, the library
     patron should locate it in PNC Library and photocopy it.

     Some Navigational Tips in Infotrac:
     --Click on an individual entry to view it.  If “Text” (FULL TEXT) is available the
        patron simply clicks on the entry and if it is an article that is useful, go to the
        left blue column and click on the PRINT command. This reformats the printing of
        the article so that information is not cut off. It is important that all users of Infotrac
        and any other databases, use the commands on the program for printing or
        information may be cut off.  (In other words, do NOT use the gray tool bar at the top
        of your screen for printing)

     --To save time, library patrons may “Mark” their entries by clicking on the empty box
        by the desired article and once all are marked, they should go to the left blue column
        and click on “View mark list.” As the patron scrolls down to view the marked list,
        they will note that near the bottom of the screen, they have the option to print OR
        e-mail the marked articles to themselves. If FULL TEXT articles were marked, it
        is important to note that one has to change the “Browser Print” OR “E-Mail
        Delivery” button to “Full article (if available)” in order to ensure that the FULL
        TEXT article is delivered them.  (The system, unfortunately, defaults to “Citation”
        in Infotrac when viewing marked selections; so library patrons need to be aware
        of this when printing off desired information).  Remember that Infotrac is only
        available on PNC campus terminals.  However, the “E-Mail Delivery” button is an
        excellent feature for those using Infotrac because if they have limited time
        on PNC campus, they can use “E-Mail Delivery” and have the article waiting for
        them on their computer e-mail at home.
 
 
 

OmniFile

Go to http://www.pnc.edu/ls/

Under the “Search for Articles” heading click on the word, “OmniFile”

Library patrons may also get to the database from http://www.pnc.edu/ls/ :
Click on “Search for Articles”
At http://www.pnc.edu/ls/indexes.html scroll down to find “OmniFile Full
Text Mega” in alphabetical order and click on the words, “OmniFile Full Text Mega”

This will take you into the WilsonWeb OmniFile database.  Take the mouse and click on the box in front of “OmniFile Full Text Mega” till you see a checkmark; then go up to your upper right hand corner of the screen and click on the “Search” box near there.

Once in the OmniFile database, it is suggested to search as the system
is already set up:  search in “Words Anywhere” (the box is already marked with a
checkmark)
 
 
 

Navigational Tips in OmniFile:
--Be sure to put the word:

               and

   in between each of your search terms.  For example, type:

               endangered and species

  in the search box and note many search results are retrieved.  Any result entry that has a
  “camera” symbol next to it or a “page/paper” symbol next to it means that it is a FULL
  TEXT article.  Click on the symbol and you will pull up the entry, but you need to click
  on “HTML” or “TextPDF” at the top of the entry listing in order to view the FULL
  TEXT article.  “HTML” or “TextPDF” are simply two different formats for printing
  FULL TEXT articles from OmniFile.  It is important to use the “print” commands
  within the OmniFile database screen. (In other words, do NOT use the gray tool
  bar at the top of your screen to print off information) Library patrons also have the
  option to E-mail the article to themselves.  Library patrons may also “mark” entries like
  they did in Infotrac.

  If there is NOT a “page/paper” symbol next to the desired the entry, library
  patrons must check the PNC online catalog OR the PNC list of print journals to see
  if PNC Library has a print copy of the journal.  If so, the patron should locate it in
  PNC Library and photocopy it.

--OmniFile also has the option to limit the search results to “Peer-Reviewed.”  In
   OmniFile, this limiting function only comes up after the search results are retrieved.
   Another limiting function, “Show Marked,” allows library patrons to click on the
   entries desired and then click on “Show Marked” and print off OR E-mail desired
   (marked) articles or citations to themselves.   It is important to use the “print” the
   commands on OmniFile program and follow the “print” instructions that are on the
   program.
 
 

Academic Search Elite (from Indiana’s INSPIRE database service)

Go to http://www.pnc.edu/ls/

Click on “Search for Articles”; you should be at: http://www.pnc.edu/ls/indexes.html

scroll down and click on the first alphabetical entry, “Academic Search FullTEXT”; click on another heading for it: “Academic Search FullTEXT Elite”; Click on another heading on the next screen, “Academic Search Elite” to finally get into the database.

The search procedures for this database are similar to the other databases. Rather than go into great detail, you will note that one of the limiting features in Academic Search Elite allows library patrons to limit the search results to “Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals” if desired.

Navigational Tips in Academic Search Elite
--Below the main search box, it is suggested that library patrons change the button that’s
   marked for “Standard Search” to the button for “All Words” which automatically
   assumes the “AND” Boolean operator in between all search terms. Library patrons
   are encouraged to view the “Help” screens to learn about other search techniques.

--Once search terms are entered and search results are displayed,
   any entry that has the words “Full Text” in it has the FULL TEXT article available
   online by simply clicking on the entry. If there is NOT a “page/paper” symbol or
   the entry does not state “Full Text” library patrons must check the PNC online
   catalog OR the PNC list of print journals to see if PNC Library has a print copy of
   the journal.  If so, patron should locate it in PNC Library and photocopy it.

--Library patrons may also use the “Add” feature that marks entries and serves the same
   function as marking used in other databases (marking is discussed elsewhere on this
   handout). Once the patron is ready to print OR E-mail the article they simply click on
   the desired command and follow the instructions on the screens.
 

If you are accessing INSPIRE from home:
It is important to note that Academic Search Elite is one of the many options to choose from Indiana’s INSPIRE service.  Anyone in Indiana can access INSPIRE databases by filling out an online “Digital Certificate” at: http://www.inspire.net/   simply find this link on the page, http://www.inspire.net/   :

                              INSPIRE Digital Certificate

and click on it for information and to sign up for a Digital Certificate
 

If you are accessing INSPIRE from PNC:
Go to: http://www.pnc.edu/ls/

Under the “Search for Articles” heading click on the “INSPIRE” subheading and you may get into INSPIRE that way as well. Library patrons may also access INSPIRE by clicking on http://www.pnc.edu/ls/
then click on “Search for Articles” and scroll down the alphabetical list till you find “INSPIRE” and click on the words:

             INSPIRE databases

Once you are on the INSPIRE main page at: http://www.inspire.net/

Scroll down till you see the search box, “Search INSPIRE Now!” and click the “GO!”

You will see a table of choices to choose from…click on:

           EBSCOhost Interface

You will now see a list of the variety of databases you may choose from...  Another popular database in INSPIRE to search is “Newspaper Source” which is handy for library patrons who need to find FULL TEXT articles from newspapers.  All of these databases will search the same way that Academic Search Elite searches; the only difference is that some will only give citation information. It is suggested the library patrons explore the variety of databases in INSPIRE.  If there is NOT a “page/paper” symbol or the entry does not state “Full Text” library patrons must check the PNC online catalog OR the PNC list of print journals to see if PNC Library has a print copy of the journal.  If so, patron should locate it in PNC Library and photocopy it.
 
 
 

JSTOR

Go to: http://www.pnc.edu/ls/

Click on “Search for Articles”

 This takes the library patron to : http://www.pnc.edu/ls/indexes.html

Scroll down to the alphabetically listed, “JSTOR” and click on the word:

       JSTOR

It is suggested that library patrons explore the link, “About JSTOR” …this database that includes FULL TEXT contains a wide variety of FULL TEXT journal articles that relate to specific disciplines; Library patrons must select the discipline that they want to search and then enter search terms in blanks as database instructions explain.
 
 

Additional Information-Interlibrary Loan
Library patrons should begin their research by exploring the online databases that include FULL TEXT articles: Contemporary Authors; Contemporary Literary Criticism; Dictionary of Literary Biography; Infotrac; OmniFile; and Academic Search Elite.

However, if library patrons find a desired citation from these databases (or any other database at: http://www.pnc.edu/ls/indexes.html) that did NOT contain FULL TEXT, they can request if via interlibrary loan.  However, to obtain the article from another library via interlibrary loan takes about two weeks.  Therefore, if library patrons did not plan ahead and did not allow two weeks for interlibrary loan articles to arrive, they should not use interlibrary loan.

For example, it is suggested that if library patrons use a database like MLA International Bibliography OR PsycINFO they note whether or not any desired citations they obtain are available at PNC Library either in FULL TEXT online or if PNC Library subscribes to the print journal.  In most cases, we may not have the full text journal article from databases like MLA International Bibliography OR PsychINFO (for example).  If the library does not own the desired journal via online nor in print, then library patrons must request the article via interlibrary loan.

Interlibrary loan users will want to review the interlibrary loan procedures at: http://www.pnc.edu/ls/ill.html