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SURI

UROC Summer Undergraduate Research Institute Library Guide

Introduction- Welcome!

Welcome to today's session about Library Basics.

In this session you will learn:

  1. How to use UC Library Search to search for research using keywords and other search strategies (Boolean, quotation marks, etc.)
  2. How to access and read Ebooks and make a request through Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
  3. How to find relevant databases related to your field of study and use filters to find research
  4. How to contact the Library for help and find resources.

#1 Using UC Library Search and Search Strategies

What is UC Library Search?

UC Library Search is the UC Merced Library's catalog of books, ebooks, articles, dissertations, images, media, and more.

How do I search for items I need for my research?

1. Navigate to the UC Merced Library home page: https://library.ucmerced.edu/

2. Enter search terms, author names, book titles, article titles and more into the blue search box and hit enter

3. Make sure you are on the VPN and signed-in to UC Library Search to get all of the results

A. Boolean Operators

OR is mORe (joins similar terms)  e.g. cognitive OR brain (will get you more or broader results)

AND is less (joins dissimilar terms) e.g. memory AND music (will get you narrower results)

Sample Search Using both AND and OR

metabolites OR hydrocarbons

AND

environment

B. Quotation Marks

Use quotation marks to search for a phrase (will get you more targeted and likely, narrower results)

  • "heavy metal"
  • "water runoff"
  • "isochron dating"
Note: These search strategies function the same in most databases.

Troubleshooting Your Search

  1. No results?
    • Try refining your search terms by using different synonyms that are simpler or contain only 1 or 2 search terms
  2. Trouble in a database
    • Try searching in another database

Research Question

 

How does having depression or anxiety negatively impact quality of sleep?

 

Independent Variable: depression and/or anxiety diagnosis

Defined by: having a mental health disorder clinically diagnosed by a mental health professional, specifically depression and/or anxiety

Dependent Variable: poor sleep quality

Defined by: insomnia, irregular sleep, disrupted sleep, difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep

Now it is your turn!

Try these two searches on your own in UC Library Search:

Search #1

depression OR anxiety AND sleep quality

 Questions:

  • What were your results?
  • How many results were returned?
  • Do the results look appropriate for your search terms?

Search #2

(depression OR anxiety) AND "sleep quality"

Questions:

  • What were your results now?
  • What changed from the previous search?
  • Do these results look more or less promising than search #1?
  • Why do you think the parentheses were important?

#2 Ebooks and Interlibrary Loan

An Ebook is literally and electronic book that can be read fully on your computer, tablet or mobile phone.

The UC Merced Library has thousands of Ebooks available to you.

Question: What filters might you apply to find an Ebook in UC Library Search?

Filtering for Ebooks in UC Library Search

1. Enter your search terms

2. Use the filters on the left hand column

3. Apply: "Online Items" and "Books"

4. Skim through your results to locate the green "Available Online" link

5. Look under the View Online header in the item record for locations to access the book. ProQuest Ebook Central is the most common platform.

Reading Tips and Features in Ebook Central

 

  1. Use the table of contents section to skip to chapters and sections of the book
  2. Use Download PDF or Print to PDF to download and print specific page ranges (the publisher has set a limit to how many pages you can print and download)
  3. Use the search within book search bar to find words. This is helpful for skimming and locating chapters most relevant to your research
  4. Use the quotation icon ( " ) to obtain a citation in most common citation styles like APA and MLA

Stress, the brain and depression (Ebook)

 

Activity: Click on the link above and explore the following features in this Ebook

 

  1. Go to the Read Online mode
  2. Navigate to Chapter 2
  3. Search within the book for the word "sleep"
    • How many results did you get?
  4. What happens when you click on Download? Does it prompt you to sign in?

Interlibrary loan is an excellent resource to get books, articles, and other materials when our library does not have immediate access. We belong to a large cooperative of UC Libraries and other higher education libraries who share both physical and online materials.

 

If our library does not have what you need, you can place a request to have items delivered to the UC Merced Library or directly to your email inbox.

 

#3 Database Searching

Click on the image above to go directly to our A-Z Databases Listings.

Or, from the UC Merced Library home page, locate this blue UC Library Search search box and click on the "Databases" quick link.

Filter using the All Subject drop-down to find specific fields of study.

The Best Bets box will offer you helpful databases that may be the best fit based on your subject selection.

If you know the database you are looking for by name, click on the alphabet letter hyperlinks to navigate to databases beginning with a certain letter.

For example: PsycInfo >>> Select "P

Class Demo: Let's explore a database together.

Explore the Web of Science database.

Keywords: "Depression" AND "sleep quality"

Filters: Highly Cited Papers

Get it UC link- access the full text of the article

Article Link from Web of Science: https://www.webofscience.com/wos/woscc/full-record/WOS:000529342300069

Question: Do we have access to this article from the Get it at UC button? What happens when you click on the Get it at UC button?

 

 

 

Now you explore some databases!

  1. Use the database subject filter drop-down to find your subject area.
  2. Did you find a database that relates to your field of study?
  3. Enter in some keywords in the search box in your database.
  4. Use the filters to explore the materials.
  5. What filters did you apply? Were you able to access an article?

Finding Databases (Video Tutorial)

Discover how to find databases for your research using our A-Z Databases listing. (1:20)

#4 Library Help and Services

Share Your Feedback!

We would love to know what you thought about today's sessions so we can continuously improve and provide excellent research assistance.