Sheena Campbell
Student Services Department
Student Services Librarian
530-752-3058
Undergraduate Research Center [URC]- Guide to Library Resources
by Sheena M Campbell, Melinda M. Livas, Nancy Wallace – October 11, 2021
Library Resources for Undergraduate Research
38°32’14.3″N 121°45’03.1″W
Quick Start
New Library Catalog
UC Library Search | UC Library Catalog
The Library Catalog tells you what the UC Davis library owns, what the call number is, where it is located, and whether or not it is checked out. If there is an electronic version that we subscribe to, the link will be in the catalog.
Use the catalog to locate books, journals, government documents, dissertations, maps, music scores & recordings, movies, and any other materials the library owns
Tips for locating books in the library:
- Note the call number for any title you would like to find, e.g. QH101.C45 2010
- Library Map: This will be helpful in locating books with call numbers.
Get it at UC
Get it at UC (Linking from your library databases)
Not all articles or ebooks will be available for download directly from a database. To access full-text articles and ebooks from databases (e.g., PubMed, Web of Science) and Google Scholar, click the Get it at UC-link button. If you are not on campus, be sure to connect to the library VPN to access your article.
This link appears in most library literature databases and provides a consistent way of:
1) getting to online articles or book chapters (if licensed) or
2) viewing information about AVAILABILITY of print issues of a journal we own or info on a print book.
If we do not own a journal or book, do Sign In (UCD login/Kerberos passphrase + DUO) and then
3) make an Interlibrary Request that the item be sent to you for free from another UC library — often using Web delivery if the item is an article or book chapter.
Developing a Research Proposal
RESEARCH PROPOSAL:
Define your topic and generate a strategy for researching that topic…
- Choose a topic
- Search popular magazines, e.g., Time, Newsweek, Wired
- Pick a topic that interests you!
- Research purpose
- Articulate what you hope to accomplish through your research
- Conduct preliminary research
- Identify viable sources
- Formulate a research question
- Pinpoint the core question you will need to ask yourself to help you focus on your research.
- Sources- should help you answer your question.
Databases
Academic Search Complete
Articles from popular magazines and scholarly journals for the humanities, social sciences, physical and biological sciences, engineering, business and interdisciplinary fields, with over 5,500 full-text periodicals. It also includes indexing for some newspapers, books and primary sources. Coverage: 1887 – present.
Web of Science
Use Web of Science to find scholarly articles in all disciplines, including chemical engineering and materials science. This database can also be used to identify articles that cite an author or article that you specify. Coverage: 1900 – present. Cited Reference Searching: 1900 – present.
Business Source Complete
Provides comprehensive access to scholarly business journals from as early and 1886.
PubMed-NCBI
PubMed is composed of biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals and online books.
IQS RESOURCE CENTER
The IQS (Industry Quick Search) Directory is a FREE, website providing content covering engineering, the manufacturing industry and much more.
Google Scholar
Google’s version of vetted, academic articles.
Ulrich’s Periodicals Directory
The standard source for information on virtually every currently published and out-of-print periodical, annual, irregular publication, and monographic series published throughout the world (plus thousands of newspapers). Indicates whether a publication is a refereed (peer-reviewed) title.
NOTE: Search by journal title, not article title. Ulrich’s provides information on the entire publication (journal, magazine, newspaper, annual review) not on the articles within.
STREAMING / OTHER RESOURCES
KANOPY
A video streaming service that offers more than 30,000 independent and film documentaries.
[When viewing “off” campus, sign in to Pulse Secure]
Alexander Street Press [Theatre in Video]
Alexander Street Press offers more than 250 definitive performances of the world’s leading plays, together with more than 100 film documentaries and online in streaming video content.
The New York Times
NYTimes.com [Via NYTimes.Academic Passes]
Note: First time users must create a new account at AccessNYT.com using their UCD credentials to gain access.
Faculty and Staff must reactivate their accounts here every year.
LANG Prize - Supporting Undergraduate Research
The Norma J. Lang Prize for Undergraduate Information Research recognizes undergraduate students whose research projects:
- Make extensive use of library resources, services and expertise.
- Advance the students’ understanding of the academic research process.
EVALUATING SOURCES
When conducting research, do not assume that everything you see in print and on a website is accurate or credible!
It is always important to evaluate your resources.
The ACT UP Method is one way to help you identify the credibility of a resource.
| Criteria | Questions to Ask |
|---|---|
| Authority | Who (person, organization or company) created this source of information? What are their credentials? What qualifies this person or organization to speak authoritatively about this topic? What editorial process was involved in confirming the reliability of this information? Is it peer-reviewed? What does the URL tell you about this source of information (.gov , .edu , .org)? |
| Currency | Has this source of information been updated or revised to incorporate recent statistical evidence or events? Does this source serve as a historical record, or do you need the most up-to-date information on your topic? Is this source of information omitting a recent study or publication that contradicts their claims or arguments? |
| Truth | How accurate is this source of information? Can you see evidence that it has undergone a process (peer-review, editorial, fact-checking) to verify the information provided? What types of evidence have been used to support claims or arguments? Are there links or citations for these sources of evidence? Are there any existing criticisms about the reliability of the statistical or quantitative data included as evidence to support claims or arguments? |
| Unbiased | Is the information presented with the stated purpose to change public opinion around a topic? Does the source of information stand to financially benefit from persuading their reader to adopt a certain opinion about a topic? Does the source of information seek to change public opinion about a topic using factual evidence gleaned from research, or do they make an appeal based on a particular belief system? |
| Privilege | What relationship/proximity does the source of information have to the topic? Are they a member of the community, or an eye witness to an event? Does the source of information speak about members of a community, or witnesses to an event? Or do they conduct interviews/provide quotes from members of a community, or witnesses to an event? Are all stakeholders around a particular topic investigated, consulted or interviewed? What is the power dynamic between the source of information and the people or organizations they study? |
| Adapted from Dawn Stahura's ACT UP Method in “ACT UP for evaluating sources: Pushing against privilege” (2018) | |
CITATION TOOLS
Follow these steps to create your EndNote Online account
Citation Styles- https://www.library.ucdavis.edu/guide/citation-styles/
The Owl @ Purdue– https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
American Psychological Association– www.apa.org-
Modern Language Association–www.mla.org-
Citation Machine- http://www.citationmachine.net/-
KnightCite – https://www.calvin.edu/library/knightcite/
Bibme – http://www.bibme.org/-