The Basics
Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Started
Finding and Evaluating Information

Searching the Internet and Journal Indexes & Databases
Guides to help you construct an effective search strategy

Citing Sources & Creating Bibliographies
Citation Guides

RefWorks
Automatically format your citations and bibliography. Store and organize your references.

Writing Guides
Guide to writing term papers, case studies and more

Academic Integrity
Avoiding Plagiarism

FAQs: please see the How Do I... and Info for New Students Guides

For further information, Ask a Librarian, or call 364-2564. 

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The Basics: Frequently Asked Questions

• How Do I... Guide
  Brief answers to frequestly asked questions
  
  
• Information for New Students
  
  

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Getting Started: Finding and Evaluating Information

Finding Information

• How to Search for Books
• How to Search for Articles
• How To Find Articles on Your Topic
• Where Do I Find... Guide (aka The Library Directory, a floor-by-floor guide to the materials, facilities and services located in the Main Library)
• Video Tutorials (various topics)

Understanding Call Numbers

Books and other materials are organized and shelved by subject. The following guides provide an outline of the classification system used by academic libraries, and explain how to read a call number.

• Library of Congress Classification Outline
  A detailed breakdown of each class, by the Library of Congress
• Library of Congress Classification System as its used at Mt.A
  by the Mount Allison University Libraries
  
• How to Read a Call Number
  by the University of California Riverside Libraries
  
  

Evaluating Information

• Critical Analysis Guide
  by The Writing Centre at Saint Mary's University
• Critically Analyzing Information Sources
  by Cornell University Library
• Evaluating Web Sources
  by Jeff Lilburn, Mount Allison University Libraries
• Primary and Secondary Sources
  by Elizabeth Millar, Mount Allison University Libraries

Identifying Scholarly and Non-scholarly Journals

• Distinguishing Scholarly Journals from Other Periodicals
  by Michael Engle, Cornell University Libraries
• Scholarly Journal vs. Popular Magazine Articles
  U. of Texas at San Antonio Library
• Scholarly/Professional/Popular Periodicals: What's the Difference?
  Cardinal Stritch University Library

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Searching the Internet and Journal Indexes & Databases

• Preparing a Search Strategy
• Using the Internet for Academic Research
  by Anita Cannon, Mount Allison University Libraries
• How to Search Successfully
  MUN Libraries

Many indexes and databases allow you to format a search using AND, OR & NOT. For example: "music AND (pop OR rock)" This guide explains how to use these types of searches effectively:

• Boolean Searching on the Internet
  by L. Cohen, U. of Albany

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Citing Sources and Creating Bibliographies

Frequently Used Citation Styles:

APA (American Psychological Association)

• APA Citation Style Guide
  Updated September 2010 (based on the 6th edition of the APA Manual)
• Using APA format (OWL Guide)
  A guide produced by the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University.

Additional Resources for APA Style, 6th edition:

• APA Style Blog
  Tips, discussion and links to even more resources.
• Basics of APA Style Tutorial
• DOI and URL flowchart
  A guide designed to help with citations of materials obtained online and in library databases.
• What's New in the 6th edition
  Online tutorial covering changes to APA Style in the newest edition of the Style Manual.
  

MLA (Modern Languages Association)

The Mt.A Libraries MLA Guides are based on the 7th edition of the MLA Handbook.

• MLA Citation Style Guide I: Preparing a List of Works Cited
  The Mt.A Libraries MLA Guide, part I.
• MLA Citation Style Guide II: Parenthetical References
  The Mt.A Libraries MLA Guide, part II.
• Using MLA format (OWL Guide)
  A guide produced by the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University.

Chicago

New: Online Access to the full Chicago Manual of Style (16th ed.)
>> Access from: on-campus | off-campus

Guides:

• Chicago Style Guide: Author-Date
  A Mt.A Libraries Guide.
• Chicago Style Guide: Notes & Bibliography
  A Mt.A Libraries Guide.
• Chicago Style Guide Notes & Bibliography for Music
  A Mt.A Libraries Guide.
• Chicago Manual of Style 16th Edition OWL Guide
  A guide produced by the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University.
• Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide
  An official Chicago style guide.

More Citation Guides:

• Bibliographic Citations for Data Files
  A Memorial University Libraries Guide
• Canadian Journal of Political Science Editorial Style Guidelines
• Citing Business Sources
  HBS guide based on Chicago (notes & bibliography style)
• Citing Government Documents
  A Mt.A Libraries Guide.
• Citing Geospatial Data Resources
  A Univrsity of Waterloo Library guide.
• Citing Sociologically
  A Mt.A Sociology Department Guide
• Government and Legal Citation guides
  Canadian, U.S., special document formats, etc.
• Citing Maps
  An Ohio Wesleyan University Libraries guide.
• Guide to Citing Maps & Atlases
  A McMaster University Libraries guide.
• Harvard Style (Author-Date)
  by UniSA (Note: There is no official "Harvard style"; can be any author-date system, e.g. APA, Chicago author-date systems)
• How to Cite Film, Video, and Online Media
  A Media Resources Center, UC Berkeley guide.  

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RefWorks

RefWorks is a Web-based bibliography and database manager that allows you to store and organize your citations. It will also automatically format your bibliographies according to APA, MLA, Chicago or other citation styles.

• To start using RefWorks now, please visit the Refworks page.

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Writing Guides

• The Literature Review: A Few Tips on Conducting It
  A U. of Toronto Writing Support guide.
• The Perfect Term Paper
  A Patrick Power Library, St. Mary's University guide.
• Case Study Writing
  From the Q Manual, Faculty of Business & Economics, Monash University; a brief tip sheet on basic format.
• Case Writing Guide
  By Prof. K. Thomas Chandy, School of Management Binghamton University, an excellent, detailed guide.
• How to Write Annotated Bibliographies
  A Memorial University Libraries guide.
• Writing Book Reviews
  A Indiana University Writing Tutorial Services guide.
• Writing about Music: An Essay Style Guide
  Dept. of Music, Mount Allison University

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Academic Integrity: Avoiding Plagiariasm

• Avoiding Plagiarism Guide
  A Mt. A Libraries guide.
• How to Recognize Plagiarism
  A tutorial designed to help you understand and recognize plagiarism (by the School of Education, Indiana University Bloomington). See also the What Is Plagiarism at Indiana University Quiz ( by Ted Frick).
• What is Plagiarism?
  A more extensive guide to plagiarism and common student questions about it. Includes tips on using web sources without plagiarizing, the importance of citing your sources, what to do about getting help from your friends, and how plead your case if you are accused of plagiarism. A Georgetown University guide.
• You Quote It, You Note It
  An Acadia University Library tutorial covering the basics of avoiding plagiarism.

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