This site has been developed to help you get the most out of your library research. Clark Memorial Library can provide a wealth of information in both hard copy and online electronic resources. Almost all of our electronic resources are available from home. Click  “Off-Campus? Click Here” for more information.

The tutorial sections are indicated in the menu on the left. An outline of the contents of each section is included below.  Although you may skip to any particular webpage whenever you want, you may find it most helpful to review the pages in the order presented in the menu. 

To begin the tutorial, click here -- or click "The Library" in the menu on the left.

To print a copy of the English Composition Library Worksheet, click here.

• The Library
  • Map
  • Website
  • Hours
  • Amenities
  • Electronic Resources
  • Browsing
  • OhioLINK
  • Checking Out Materials
  • Library Floor Plans
• Search Strategy
  • Steps in the Search Strategy
  • Project Calculator
  • Working Bibliography
• Topic
  • Pre-choice considerations
  • Formulating a thesis, research question, or proposal
  • Topics, thesis statements, keywords, & subject headings
  • Keywords
  • Subject headings
  • Thesauri
• The Web
  • Background information?
  • Articles
  • Books and other documents
  • Selected web resources
  • Invisible web
• Scholarly?
  • Literature appropriate for college-level research
  • General vs. scholarly resources
  • Primary and secondary sources
  • Professional/scholarly literature
  • On the web?
• Reference
  • Background information
  • Online reference
  • Quick search collections
    • Biographical resources
    • Encyclopedias, dictionaries, and thesauri
    • Topics of current interest
    • Audio, video, and graphic archives
    • Directories
    • Other specialized reference resources
• Catalogs
  • My library account
  • SSU library catalog
  • Accessing the catalog
  • The browse screen
  • Brief record results
  • The catalog record
  • Getting an APA or MLA Citation
  • Subject headings
  • Subjects List
  • Local and consortial catalogs
  • The OhioLINK catalog
• Articles
  • Articles & periodicals
  • Finding articles
  • Current periodicals
  • Older periodicals
  • Interlibrary loan
  • Popular/general and Substantive/trade periodicals
  • Professional/scholarly periodicals
  • Format of the professional/scholarly article
  • Peer Review
  • Types of Professional and Scholarly Articles
  • Table delineating elements of different types of periodical literature
• Databases I -- General Overview
  • Research databases
  • About research databases
  • Choosing a database
  • Quick search link
  • Restrictions and off-campus use
• Databases II -- Simple Searching
  • Beginning the search
  • Keyword searches 
  • Results lists
  • Improving search results
  • Sort options
  • Online article links
  • Find It with OLinks
  • Accessing the full text in LexisNexis
  • Getting citations in APA and MLA style
  • Locating more articles using the subject field
  • Help
• Databases III -- Truncation, Connectors, and Designating a Field to Be Searched
  • Truncation
  • Boolean operators and other connectors
    • And
    • Or
    • Not
  • Other connectors
  • More sophisticated combinations
  • Selecting a Search Field
  • Help
• Databases IV -- Advanced Search Methods
  • Beyond Academic Search Complete and LexisNexis
  • Selecting a subject-specific database
  • Thesaurus-driven databases
  • Other ways to limit a search
  • Pre-limits
  • Post-limits
  • Saving and Exporting Citations
• Quick Search
  • Quick Search @ OhioLINK
  • Searching Multiple Databases Simultaneously
• Evaluation
  • Consider the source
  • Length
  • Checking reviews
  • About the author
  • Elements of evaluation
    • Accuracy
    • Authority
    • Objectivity
    • Currency
    • Coverage
  • Additional sources of information
• Plagiarism
  • Definition
  • How to avoid plagiarism
  • Common knowledge
  • Acknowledge, Cite, Document -- NoodleBib and EndNote Web
• Citing
  • MLA and APA
  • NoodleBib and EndNote Web
  • Additional Resources

Get help via IM, email (Reference_Services@Shawnee.edu), or by phoning (740.351.3321).  

If you prefer face-to-face assistance, stop by the Clark Memorial Library Reference Counter or schedule a Research Consultation with a Reference Librarian.