The Journal Finder: A Gold Mine for Research

George Bissill [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Much like prospectors from days past, today’s students are also seeking the mother lode. The mother lode of information that is. Too often, we hear from students that they can only locate one or two really good sources when they are writing a research paper. What many don’t know is that those two articles can open up a whole new vein of discovery if they just take the time to mine the references cited. Here’s what we mean.

Let’s say that you have found a great article titled “Academic Zombies: A Failure of Resistance or a Means of Survival?” You really love what it has to say about educational reform using zombies as a metaphor and want to find similar articles. Now what? This is where your mining skills come into play. A quick glance at the references used for this article shows that the author cited 60 sources. That’s 60 sources that you can take a look at to see if they can shed more light on your topic. Why should you start from scratch when someone has already found a list of articles that can help you further your own research? Since you want to work smarter, not harder, mining good articles for the ore of more makes sense. Once you have a great list of references to work from, you can use the Journal Finder or call one of the Brandman librarians to help you find the mother lode.

Journal Finder

We are here to help you stake your claim on solid research. Eureka!

The Journal Finder: The Best Tool to Mine Your Resources

George Bissill [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Much like prospectors from days past, today’s students are also seeking the mother lode. The mother lode of information that is. Too often, we hear from students that they can only locate one or two really good sources when they are writing a research paper. What many don’t know is that those two articles can open up a whole new vein of discovery if they just take the time to mine the references cited. Here’s what we mean.

Let’s say that you have found a great article titled “Academic Zombies: A Failure of Resistance or a Means of Survival?” You really love what it has to say about educational reform using zombies as a metaphor and want to find similar articles. Now what? This is where your mining skills come into play. A quick glance at the references used for this article shows that the author cited 60 sources. That’s 60 sources that you can take a look at to see if they can shed more light on your topic. Why should you start from scratch when someone has already found a list of articles that can help you further your own research? Since you want to work smarter, not harder, mining good articles for the ore of more makes sense. Once you have a great list of references to work from, you can use the Journal Finder or call one of the Brandman librarians to help you find the mother lode.

Journal Finder

We are here to help you stake your claim on solid research. Eureka!

Use the Journal Finder to Mine Your Resources

George Bissill [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Much like prospectors from days past, today’s students are also seeking the mother lode. The mother lode of information that is. Too often, we hear from students that they can only locate one or two really good sources when they are writing a research paper. What many don’t know is that those two articles can open up a whole new vein of discovery if they just take the time to mine the references cited. Here’s what we mean.

Let’s say that you have found a great article titled “Academic Zombies: A Failure of Resistance or a Means of Survival?” You really love what it has to say about educational reform using zombies as a metaphor and want to find similar articles. Now what? This is where your mining skills come into play. A quick glance at the references used for this article shows that the author cited 60 sources. That’s 60 sources that you can take a look at to see if they can shed more light on your topic. Why should you start from scratch when someone has already found a list of articles that can help you further your own research? Since you want to work smarter, not harder, mining good articles for the ore of more makes sense. Once you have a great list of references to work from, you can use the Journal Finder or call one of the Brandman librarians to help you find the mother lode.

Journal Finder

We are here to help you stake your claim on solid research. Eureka!

Mine Your Resources with the Journal Finder

George Bissill [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Much like prospectors from days past, today’s students are also seeking the mother lode. The mother lode of information that is. Too often, we hear from students that they can only locate one or two really good sources when they are writing a research paper. What many don’t know is that those two articles can open up a whole new vein of discovery if they just take the time to mine the references cited. Here’s what we mean.

Let’s say that you have found a great article titled “Academic Zombies: A Failure of Resistance or a Means of Survival?” You really love what it has to say about educational reform using zombies as a metaphor and want to find similar articles. Now what? This is where your mining skills come into play. A quick glance at the references used for this article shows that the author cited 60 sources. That’s 60 sources that you can take a look at to see if they can shed more light on your topic. Why should you start from scratch when someone has already found a list of articles that can help you further your own research? Since you want to work smarter, not harder, mining good articles for the ore of more makes sense. Once you have a great list of references to work from, you can use the Journal Finder or call one of the Brandman librarians to help you find the mother lode.

Journal Finder

We are here to help you stake your claim on solid research. Eureka!

The Journal Finder: Mining Your Sources for Research Gold

George Bissill [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Much like prospectors from days past, today’s students are also seeking the mother lode. The mother lode of information that is. Too often, we hear from students that they can only locate one or two really good sources when they are writing a research paper. What many don’t know is that those two articles can open up a whole new vein of discovery if they just take the time to mine the references cited. Here’s what we mean.

Let’s say that you have found a great article titled “Academic Zombies: A Failure of Resistance or a Means of Survival?” You really love what it has to say about educational reform using zombies as a metaphor and want to find similar articles. Now what? This is where your mining skills come into play. A quick glance at the references used for this article shows that the author cited 60 sources. That’s 60 sources that you can take a look at to see if they can shed more light on your topic. Why should you start from scratch when someone has already found a list of articles that can help you further your own research? Since you want to work smarter, not harder, mining good articles for the ore of more makes sense. Once you have a great list of references to work from, you can use the Journal Finder or call one of the Brandman librarians to help you find the mother lode.

Journal Finder

We are here to help you stake your claim on solid research. Eureka!

Mining Your Sources Using the Journal Finder

George Bissill [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Much like prospectors from days past, today’s students are also seeking the mother lode. The mother lode of information that is. Too often, we hear from students that they can only locate one or two really good sources when they are writing a research paper. What many don’t know is that those two articles can open up a whole new vein of discovery if they just take the time to mine the references cited. Here’s what we mean.

Let’s say that you have found a great article titled “Academic Zombies: A Failure of Resistance or a Means of Survival?” You really love what it has to say about educational reform using zombies as a metaphor and want to find similar articles. Now what? This is where your mining skills come into play. A quick glance at the references used for this article shows that the author cited 60 sources. That’s 60 sources that you can take a look at to see if they can shed more light on your topic. Why should you start from scratch when someone has already found a list of articles that can help you further your own research? Since you want to work smarter, not harder, mining good articles for the ore of more makes sense. Once you have a great list of references to work from, you can use the Journal Finder or call one of the Brandman librarians to help you find the mother lode.

Journal Finder

We are here to help you stake your claim on solid research. Eureka!

Using Dissertations as a Resource

Raphael [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Many students forget to consider dissertations and theses as sources for their research. These are great tools to use, not only for the dissertation itself, but for the research gathered to create it. Where do you start? Begin by selecting General Databases at the bottom of the library homepage. This will take you to the General Databases Electronic Resources page. From there, select Connect under Dissertations & Theses: Full Text – ProQuest. Perform your search.

You found a great dissertation that supports your research. Now what? Why, you should mine the references! At the end of the dissertation, examine the references used. If these is a useful journal article, use the Journal Finder to see if we have access. If there is an interesting book, check our Library catalog.

Remember. There is no need for you to scramble for sources. If someone has already done the work, why not save some time?

As always, please keep your Brandman library staff in mind if you need assistance. We are here to help!

Finding Articles: How To Get Out Of The Weeds

By Filip Maljkovic (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Do you sometimes feel like you’re in the weeds when you’re searching for an article in the library databases? Not to worry. Here are some tips that can connect you to the information you need.

1. Use the Discover! search on the library homepage. Discover! searches through about 95% of all of the databases in a single search.

2. If you see this , always click on the Check for full text option before requesting an interlibrary loan. The library may have access in one of the 5% of databases not covered by Discover!

3. If you do not receive a link to the article, check to see if the library has a subscription to the source by entering the journal title in the Journal Finder search box on the library homepage. For more information on how to use the Journal Finder, check out the Journal Finder post.

4. Finally, if you have followed the steps above without finding your article, take one more step before placing your interlibrary loan request. Perform an internet search for the title of the article. Often, articles will be posted as PDFs and open access.

By following these simple steps, you can get out of the weeds and make friends with your computer again.

By Dreysacz at German Wikipedia (Original text: de:Benutzer:Dreysacz) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

As always, if you need assistance locating an article, please contact your Brandman staff. We’re here to help!

Using the Journal Finder to Mine Your References

See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Much like prospectors from days past, today’s students are also seeking the mother lode. The mother lode of information that is. Too often, we hear from students that they can only locate one or two really good sources when they are writing a research paper. What many don’t know is that those two articles can open up a whole new vein of discovery if they just take the time to mine the references cited. Here’s what we mean.

Let’s say that you have found a great article titled “Academic Zombies: A Failure of Resistance or a Means of Survival?” You really love what it has to say about educational reform using zombies as a metaphor and want to find similar articles. Now what? This is where your mining skills come into play. A quick glance at the references used for this article shows that the author cited 60 sources. That’s 60 sources that you can take a look at to see if they can shed more light on your topic. Why should you start from scratch when someone has already found a list of articles that can help you further your own research? Since you want to work smarter, not harder, mining good articles for the ore of more makes sense. Once you have a great list of references to work from, you can use the Journal Finder or call one of the Brandman librarians to help you find the mother lode.

Journal Finder

We are here to help you stake your claim on solid research. Eureka!