HRD 604 --Self-Directed Education Orientation

Introduction | Reference Sources | Indexes & Databases | Internet Resources | Writing the Paper

For further research assistance, please contact Tim Lynch tlynch@usm.maine.edu; (780-5344), Research and Instructional Services Librarian; Liaison to the Human Resources and Development Department. Gorham Campus Library, University of Southern Maine.

Please use this course guide anytime you need help with your research. Also please feel free to contact the Gorham Reference Desk at (207) 780-5344 or your liaison above if you have more questions. You can also use our Ask a Librarian service.

• Keyword/Title/Author/Subject
• Basic Search Using Keywords
• Advanced Search Using Keywords
• URSUS (Our Catalog)
• Subject Headings

The key to all your library research is your USM Card. On that card is your Library Barcode beginning (2502. . .) This card will gain you access to remote databases, Interlibrary Loan, Request items from other libraries in Maine and will allow you to check-out books from the University of Maine Library system. This card must be activated by the Circulation staff at one of our libraries before you may use it.

To start us off, lets begin by learning how to search the catalog and databases at USM:

Searching Using AND and OR: (This process can be used in most any database including journal indexes and databases)

Keyword, Title, Author, and Subject

Currently search strategies are catagorized by four types of searches: Keyword; Title; Author; and Subject. Keyword searches use "key words" from areas of the book or document record like the title and the abstract and match the exact instructions of your search (See Basic Search below). Title searches are performed by entering the exact wording of the title, While Author searches are performed by entering the Last name of the author followed by a comma and the first letter or first name of the person or entity responsible for the content of the work.

Subject searches are altogether different. A subject search (See Subject Headings Below) is an attempt to find a collection of works determined to be in the same subject area. The Library of Congress creates these Subject Headings and new works are either matched to an existing Subject Heading or new Subject Headings are created. The best way to use a Subject Heading is to find a book, using a Keyword search, (See above) that very closely fits your topic, then look to the bottom of the record for the Subject Headings that belong to that book. Using the blank subject search on its own is possible but will probably not give you the information you are looking for unless you know exactly the right Subject Headings to use.

Basic Search using Keywords

1. State your topic in one sentence. (Ex. I'm looking for information about Adult literacy in the US)
2. Separate important terms. (Ex. adult AND literacy AND United States)
3. Did you find enough information? If not continue. . . .
4. Add IMPORTANT synonyms and related terms that you would find in the professional literature: adult AND (literacy OR education) AND (United States OR U.S.)
5. Truncate terms to get plural as well as singular form.
   Ex. adult* AND (literacy OR educat*) AND (United States OR U.S.)

Advanced Search using Keywords (Default)

AND and OR searching can also be accomplished by filling in the search boxes using the AND connector in the Adanced search mode. Make sure and place all the OR terms (ie synonyms) together in the same box connected with the word OR. Also place and the AND terms in the same box, connected with the word AND.

URSUS
In order to find books, journal titles, videos, government documents and other materials owned by the University of Maine system you will need to consult URSUS, the online catalog. Because journal article citations are not included in URSUS, you will need to use a discipline-specific index to find this information (see Resources by Subject). Essentially, the difference between URSUS and other databases is that URSUS searches items like books, journal titles and videos in their entirety. URSUS can show you Time Magazine and tell you the issues we have in our collection, but it cannot reach into Time magazine and show you the articles. Just as it cannot reach into a book and show you specific chapters. Other Databases called Indexes can do those things!

Subject Headings

The following is a listing of selected Subject Headings relating to HRD 604 Each Subject Heading is hotlinked directly to URSUS. Notice how they appear at the bottom of the record of each book you choose.

To obtain materials not located at USM, but within the University of Maine System, you will need to click on the black Request button on the URSUS screen and enter your name and barcode number (found under the barcode on your USM Card). Remember, your barcode will need to be activated at the Circulation Desk usually on the first floor of our libraries. Remember also to choose a location for the item to be delivered. Items requested in this manner require 3 to 5 days for delivery.

If the item is not available through the University of Maine System (URSUS) or Maine InfoNet (A serice including the additional public and private libraries in the state of Maine) you can request it via Interlibrary Loan (Illiad). Interlibrary Loan is a service by which students can request books, articles and other items from outside the USM libraries, the state of Maine, or even outside the United States to use for their classwork or for leisure.

Unfortunately, many students are reluctant to use such a powerful service, relying instead on full-text items online. At the Graduate Level of a discipline, it is often more advantageous to look for articles and books that narrowly define one's topic. This will result in more serious research and ultimately a better grade!

To use the Interlibrary Loan service called Illiad. First look for the Interlibrary Loan Forms and the "First Time Users" link. Read the information and continue to follow these links until you reach a screen that requires you to imput your personal information. It is on this screen that you will choose a Username and Password that will allow you to quickly access your Interlibrary Loan service, minimizing the time and effort to make requests and, if you have an article, allowing you to get that article right from your screen!!

Because they are mailed, books requested by Interlibrary Loan may take a week to 10 days to arrive. Articles requested by interlibrary loan usually arrive in under 3 days!

Off-Campus (remote) connection to databases: Use your name and library barcode number (2502. . . . ) available from your student ID to access Indexes and databases from home. Indexes and Databases that can be accessed remotely will have a small yellow "remote access" icon next to the Index or database. If you are having trouble, try using the state funded Marvel Databases. Enter personal information including ZIP Code.

Reference sources are useful tools to obtain background information and to develop a vocabulary of possible search terms. Most of the following items are print resources available within the Gorham Campus Library.

• Teaching and Research Sources
• Biographical Sources
• Other Resources

Teaching and Research Sources

Encyclopedia of African-American Education
(Gor. Ref. LC2717 .E53 1996

Encyclopedia of Education
(Gor. Ref. LB15 .E47 2003) [8 vols.]

Encyclopedia of Educational Research
(Gor. Ref. LB15 .E48 1992) [4 vols.]

Encyclopedia of Human Development and Education
(Gor. Ref. BF713 .E65 1990)

Encyclopedia of Human Intelligence
(Gor. Ref. B431 .E59 1994) [2 vols.]

Encyclopedia of Learning and Memory
(Gor. Ref. BF318 .E53 1992)

Encyclopedia of Marriage and the Family
(Gor. Ref. HQ9 .E52 1995) [2 vols.]

International Encyclopedia of Education
(Gor. Ref. LB15 .I569 1994) [12 vols.]

International Encyclopedia of Teaching and Teacher Education
(Gor. Ref. LB1025.3 .I58 1995)

Handbook of Research on Teacher Education
(Gor. Ref. LB1715 .H274 1996)

Handbook of Reading Research
(Gor. Ref. LB1050 .H278 1984) [3 vols.(vol. 3 is 2000)]

Biographical Sources

Biographical Dictionary of American Educators
(Gor. Ref. LA2311 .B54) [3 vols.]

Who's Who in American Education
(Gor. Ref. LA2311 .W471994-5

Other Research Resources

The Adult and Community Education Directory
(Por Ref. LC5252 .M2 A485  1992)

Dictionary of Multi-cultural Education
(Gor. Ref. LC 1099 .D53 1997

Dictionary of Statistics and Methodology
(Gor. Ref. HA17 .V64 1999)

Educator's Resource Directory
Gor. Ref. LB1028.27 .U6 E53 2001-02

Handbook of Educational Terms and Applications
(Gor. Ref. LB15 .E419 1996)

Handbook of Qualitative Research in Education
(Gor. Ref. H62 .H2456 1992)

An International Dictionary of Adult and Continuing Education
(Gor. Ref. LC5211 .J37 1989) 

Literacy Dictionary
(Gor. Ref. LB 1049.98 .L58 1995)

Maine Adult and Community Education Directory
(Gor. Ref. LC5252.M2 M35  1993-94)

Because of the publishing cycle of a book, information in a book is not always current. Periodical articles are current sources of information. There are two main types of periodicals: scholarly and popular. Scholarly periodicals are usually referred to as journals. Articles in journals contain reports of primary research; the articles are written by experts in the field and for other researchers/scholars; use terms and language specific to that discipline; may include graphs, charts, etc. related to the topic; most often are peer reviewed via an editorial board; are published by professional organization or society, university, research centers, scholarly presses; and often include a bibliography. Popular periodical articles contain general information; are written using easily understood language that appeals to a varied audience; are usually written by journalists or others who are not experts in the field; do not include citations; has a limited or non-existent editorial review board; and may contain glossy photographs

To find scholarly articles it is necessary to consult a discipline-specific electronic or print index/database. The following are electronic indexing sources available to the Unversity of Southern Maine in the area of Education.

The Finding Articles at USM page created by Barb Mann is also a very useful link.

Academic Search Premier
Date coverage: varies according to publication. See coverage information
Provides full text for nearly 4,000 scholarly publications of which 3,100 are peer reviewed. Academic areas of study include: social sciences, humanities, education, computer sciences, engineering, language and linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences, ethnic studies, and business. Approximately 300 journals indexed are in the field of Education. Note also: Under the blue tab reading "Choose Databases" There are several databases that include information on businesses: Business Source Premiere, Regional Business News, MasterFILE Premiere

ERIC
The Educational Resource Center, sponsored by the US Department of Education, but now outsourced to a private company, is the major research database for the field of Education. It collects, indexes and abstracts (summarizes) articles from virtually all of the 950+ US journals devoted to Education. Additionally, ERIC collects, indexes abstracts and publishes as ERIC Documents other items of interest to the educational community, such as conference papers, official reports of federally funded research projects, materials produced by state departments of education and other educational entities, a small number of commercially published books (abstracts only) and even classroom and other materials submitted by individual educators, although as of 2004 this type of information may no longer be included.

ERIC Journal Articles are available from those institutions that subscribe to that journal. In other words, if USM doesn't subscribe to it, and there are no "Full-Text" links in the record, Interlibrary Loan (Illiad). is how you get the item. ERIC Documents are available sometimes in electronic form from EDRS (look for the "Full-Text" link in the record) or in FREE printable microfiche at the Gorham Campus Library.

Because ERIC has been sold to a private contractor for management, it is unknown to what extent the database will change. The new model promises full-text online for much of the information indexed in ERIC whenever possible. See more information at the http://www.eric.ed.gov/ site.

PsycINFO
The online edition of Psychological Abstracts, produced by the American Psychological Association is the major Research Database related to the field of Psychology. The database includes abstracts of articles from the professional journal literature in several languages. It also includes abstracts of books and book chapters, dissertations and reports in psychology. ERIC and PsychINFO will, in some cases connect to the full-text of articles.

Finding Articles
Once you have your citations (Journal Name/Year/volume/issue/page numbers) of the articles you want. The next step is to find that article. If there are no "Full-Text" links, First search URSUS to see if USM has the journal you want. Perform a Title search in the Part of URSUS labeled JOURNAL/MAGAZINE/NEWSPAPER.
Look for your item, then look to see where in the University of Maine System it resides. Locations of GOR, POR and LEW are all part of USM. Any other Location must be requested from Interlibrary Loan.

If all you get from your search is numbers then that item is not in the UMS system. This item also must be requested from Interlibrary Loan

Some of the Journals USM subscribes to in Adult Education are as follows:

Adult education quarterly
Adult learning
Career development quarterly
Gerontology & geriatrics education
Journal of career development
Journal of continuing higher education
Lifelong learning
T&D. Better performance through workplace learning

There is no authority control for the Internet. In choosing Internet resources it is imperative to evaluate the authenticity of the source. Thinking Critically about Discipline-Based World Wide Web Resources (UCLA College Library) provides excellent evaluation criteria. The following selected resources have been chosen because of authenticity and comprehensiveness of coverage.

American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE) (See "Links" then "AAACE Hot Links")

Educator's Reference Desk

Maine Department of Education

Office of Vocational and Adult Education (See also "Related Links")

US Department of Education

In using resources it is imperative that they be used ethically and legally. The sources listed here provide assistance in following correct citation methods.

In using resources it is imperative that they be used ethically and legally. The sources listed here provide assistance in following correct citation methods and in avoiding plagiarism.

Writing Handbooks

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
(Gor. Ref. BF76.7 .P83 2001)

St. Martin's Handbook
(Por. Ref. PE1112 .L86 1989)
(Lew Ref. PE1112. L86 1989)
Contains sections on the writing process, sentence construction, punctuation, doing research, and academic writing.

A Writer's Reference, 3rd Edition
(Gor. Ref. PE1408 .H2778 1995)
Includes sections on composing and revising, design, sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, writing, and documentation.

Citation Styles

Citing Sources (MLA) (Indiana University)

MLA (University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center)

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th edition
(Gor. Ref. LB2369 .G53 2003)

Online! A Reference Guide Using Internet Resources

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
(Gor. Ref. BF76.7 .P83 2001)

Using Modern Language Association (MLA) Format (Purdue University Online Writing Center)

Be sure to look at the EndNote program for help with citations.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism-The Do's and Dont's: Guidelines for Avoiding Plagiarism (University of California-Davis)

Plagiarism (Indiana University)

Last update: 09.2005
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