Cleveland State CC Library
Searching for Sources at the Cleveland State Library
The Library is a great place to look for your sources!
Libraries have large collections of information on a variety of carefully selected and organized topics. The key to library collections is quality over quantity. You can find high quality information from a variety of credible resources in the library.
Library resources go through a review process.
Librarians and faculty select books, magazines, journals, newspapers, and other resources they consider reliable, historically relevant, and valuable.
Library resources are free for your use.
Library resources are organized.
Items are organized so you can find all the sources on a topic. For example, when you search for a book in the library catalog you will get a call number. The books shelved near the same call number will cover a similar topic.
The Library can borrow materials for you.
If the Library does not have the material you need, we can borrow it from another library via Interlibrary Loan (ILL).
Library resources come with personal assistance.
Libraries have staff who are trained to help you. They'll help you learn to use online resources and answer any questions that you have. All you have to do is ask!
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The Library vs. Internet Search Engines |
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Library Catalog and Databases |
Internet Search Engine |
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Types of Information Retrieved |
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Scholarly journal articles Popular magazine articles Newspaper articles Reference book articles Books No sponsors or ads |
Few free scholarly journal articles, popular magazine articles, and books Popular web sites Commercial web sites Government, educational, and organizational web sites Current news & information Email, chat Many sponsors and ads |
| When to Use | |
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Best for college level research When you need to find credible information quickly |
Best for personal information needs including shopping and entertainment When you have time to more carefully evaluate information found on the open web |
| Credibility/Review Process | |
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Articles and books written by journalists or experts in a professional field All material in a database is evaluated for accuracy and credibility by subject experts and publishers. Reviewed and updated regularly |
Lack of control allows anybody to publish their opinions and ideas on the Internet. Not evaluated (for the most part). Need to more carefully evaluate websites for bias, accuracy, and completeness Many sites are not updated regularly and can become outdated. |
| Cost/Accessibility | |
| Library database subscriptions are paid for through your tuition and state taxes. |
Most information found through a search engine is free. Library databases cannot be accessed through search engines or the open web. Many websites found through Internet search engines contain licensed, proprietary information and require you to logon with a user account. You must already be a member or pay for a subscription in order to access the material from these web sites. |
| Usability | |
| The organization and various search capabilities of library databases allow users to search for and retrieve focused and relevant results. |
Less ability to search for and retrieve precise results using search engines like Google Need to wade through a “grab bag” of results |
| Consistency/Permanence/Stability | |
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Published content from journals, magazines, newspapers and books does not change. Most material remains in a database for a significant length of time and can be easily retrieved again. |
Website content can change often. Web pages and sites may disappear for a number of reasons, so it may not be possible to retrieve the same content at a later time. |
| Citation | |
| Many databases include a citation tool that will automatically generate an APA or MLA style reference for the article you select. You may still need to “tweak” this citation, but these tools serve as a good starting point for citing your sources in a particular format. |
Most websites found on the open web do not provide a citation tool or an already formatted APA or MLA style reference for the web pages on their site. You will need to start your citation from scratch using APA or MLA style manuals or handouts from your instructor or the library. |
Source: Columbus State Library's The Research Process: 3b. Databases vs. Internet
Now that you have your chart of search terms, where should you look? At this point, it is a good idea to take another look at your assignment. Has your instructor specified how many and what types of sources you should use? Be sure you know what he/she expects before going further with your research.
If your instructor specified how many sources you need to use but not the types, consider what types of sources are available and how different types of sources might prove more or less useful given your topic. The types of sources you need will change depending on the question you are trying to answer.
Primary vs. Secondary Sources
Primary sources provide direct or firsthand evidence about an event, object, person, or work of art. In other words, they are the raw materials of history — original documents and objects which were created at the time under study.
| Letter | Physical Object | Film | Newspaper | Photograph | Government Document |
| Autobiography | Speech | Music | News Recording | Census Data | Work of Art |
| Historical Account | Survey | Eye Witness Testimony | Audio | Interview | Piece of Creative Writing |
Secondary sources describe, discuss, interpret, comment upon, analyze, evaluate, summarize, and process primary sources. Secondary source materials can be articles in newspapers or popular magazines, book or movie reviews, or articles found in scholarly journals that discuss or evaluate someone else's original research.
Books
Books cover virtually any topic, fact or fiction. For research purposes, you will probably be looking for books that summarize all the information on one topic.
Libraries organize and store their book collections on shelves called "stacks." Books are also available online through the Library's eBook databases.
Use a Book
- when looking for a lot of information on a topic
- to put your topic in context with other important issues
- to find historical information
- to find summaries of research to support an argument
Magazines
Magazines publish articles on topics of popular interest and current events. The articles are written by journalists and are for the general public.
Magazines, like journals and newspapers, are called "periodicals" because they are published at regular intervals throughout the year.
You can find some print magazines in the library and many more online through the Library's databases.
Use a Magazine
- to find information or opinions about popular culture
- to find up-to-date information about current events
- to find general articles written for people who are not necessarily specialists
Newspapers
Newspapers provide information about current events and topics of local interest. Newspapers, like journals and magazines, are called "periodicals" because they are published regularly, typically daily.
Use a Newspaper
- to find current information about international, national and local events
- to find editorials, commentaries, expert or popular opinions
You can find newspapers in print or microfilm format, or on the Web as electronic newspapers. Most newspapers are made available to you by subscriptions purchased by your library. Most newspapers have their own Web sites with today's news. Many times their Web sites provide access to earlier articles.
Journals
Journal articles are written by scholars in an academic or professional field. An editorial board reviews articles to decide whether they should be published. Journal articles may cover very specific topics or narrow fields of research. A subset of journals are referred to as "peer reviewed," which means that they are reviewed by a set of experts before publishing to ensure high quality, original research.
Examples of journals include The Journal of Modern History, Journal of Educational Psychology, and The American Journal of Nursing.
The Library purchases subscriptions to many journals through our online databases.
Use a Journal
- when doing scholarly research
- to find out what has been studied on your topic
- to find bibliographies that point to other relevant research
Different types of sources have different publication cycles. For example, newspapers are usually published daily, so a newspaper would be a good source for information on daily events, such as a speech that the president gave yesterday.
A magazine may be published once a week or monthly. You may wish to use a magazine to find information about current social trends or commentary on recent events.
Academic journals are typically published only a few times a year. Use an academic journal to find detailed scholarly information, such as literary criticism or scientific research.
Books can take years to publish. Books are good sources of background information, such as the history of the railroads or statistics on the number of children immunized against diseases in the United States.
The video below explains how the information cycle effects the content that each type of source delivers.
The Library's Subject Guides are a great place to start your search. These guides include specialized recommendations for finding books, articles, statistics, web resources, and citation assistance. The Library's Subject Guides can be found listed on the Library's homepage in CougarNet.
Keep in mind that more than one guide may be relevant to your research interests.
Books provide in-depth information on a broad topic.
Keep in mind that you don't have to read an entire book to find relevant information. Scan the table of contents or indexes for chapters or pages on your topic (print and eBooks) or try keyword searches (eBooks) to get what you need.
To find print and eBooks on your topic, search Primo.
- What is Primo?
Primo is the library's research platform. Virtually everything the library has can be searched in Primo. You can find print book collections, streaming videos, full-text eBooks, and full-text articles from newspapers, magazines, and academic journals.
- Where can I find Primo?
You can find Primo on the library tab in CougarNet, on the library subject guide for your class, or on the library page on Cleveland State's website.
- What else do I need to know?
When you are off-campus, online articles and eBooks are accessible via Primo with your CougarNet username and password.
Tip: When searching for books in Primo, be sure to select the Books and eBooks dropdown from the search interface so that your results are limited to print books and eBooks.
Once you have your results list, you can filter for print or eBooks.
If you have identified a print book that looks promising, be sure to make note of the Call Number, Location, and Availability.
Call Numbers & Browsing
The print books in our collection are organized according to the Library of Congress Classification System, which divides all knowledge into twenty-one basic classes, each identified by a single letter of the alphabet. Most of these alphabetical classes are further divided into more specific subclasses.
This arrangement of items in the LoC system results in "serendipitous browsing:" you find one book in the catalog, go to the shelf, and an even better book is sitting right next to it.
Follow the link below to view an outline of the 21 basic classes. Clicking on any of the classes will provide you with a detailed view of all of the associated subclasses.
- Library of Congress Classification SystemThe LoC system divides all knowledge into twenty-one basic classes, each identified by a single letter of the alphabet. Most of these alphabetical classes are further divided into more specific subclasses.
Once you've identified the subclasses associated with your research subject, take some time to browse those portions of our collection. You will be surprised how much useful information you can find that will not appear in a catalog search.
There are two ways to access and search the Library's scholarly journals, newspapers, and magazines.
Catalog Searching
Searching Primo for articles can be a useful starting point in your search process as the catalog pulls results from all of our online resources. Be sure to select the Articles dropdown from the search interface so that your results are limited to articles.
While catalog searching is convenient, there are drawbacks. You may get many article results that aren't relevant to your discipline, and you will probably have fewer ways to limit your search than when you search a specific database.
Database Searching
A library database is a collection of resources, often articles from academic journals. Cleveland State provides you access to over 100 research databases in many disciplines. These databases fall into two broad categories: multidisciplinary (or general) databases and subject-specific databases.
Multidisciplinary databases, as the name suggests, contain articles from many different disciplines. They can be useful when your topic is multidisciplinary in nature or when you are trying to get a broad idea of what has been published on your topic.
Subject-specific databases let you search for scholarly articles in a particular discipline, such as psychology, agriculture, or nursing. Subject-specific databases may contain background information and overviews on your topic and often include search tools that are unique to the discipline.
Our A-Z Database List allows you to search our holdings by subject and/or database type (eBooks or articles).
