Reference Books
If you want quick, authoritative background on a general topic, try a specialized encyclopedia. Articles in these sources are written by experts and typically provide key references to major research studies.
- Encyclopedia of Human Behavior (Reference BF31 .E5 1994)
- Encyclopedia of Human Emotions (Reference BF531 .E55 1999)
- Encyclopedia of Psychology (Reference BF31 .E52 2000)
- Encyclopedia of Sociology (Reference HM425 .E5 2000)
- New Dictionary of the History of Ideas (Reference CB9 .N49 2005)
- Violence in America (Reference HN57 .G65 1969)
Finding Books
MnPALS is our library catalog. Use it to search for books, videos, and other materials by author, title, or topic. You can also search other libraries by selecting them from the drop-down list on the upper right. To request a book from another library, click on ILL, login, click on ILL again, fill out the date you need it by, check off the copyright agreement, and submit your request.
MnLINK is a statewide system. It includes some academic libraries that are not in MnPALS. It works best for known titles or for very specific topics. Use the "get it" button to request a book through interlibrary loan using your barcode and last name as username and password.
WorldCat is a huge, worldwide catalog with over 60 million books and other items. Some of the items you find in this catalog may be unavailable through interlibrary loan or may take longer to arrive than those found in regional libraries.
If you are trying to find a book or a book chapter cited in a reference, look it up in our catalog and, if we don't have it, request it from another library. It takes anywhere from 48 hours to ten days for these to arrive. Watch your e-mail for a message and then pick it up at the main counter.
Finding Articles
We have databases for a wide variety of subjects that will provide references to articles and sometimes books; once you do a search, check to see what's available in our library by clicking on the yellow "find it" button.
Of particular interest for this project are:
If you are trying to find an article based on a reference, use the journal locator to see if we have it in electronic or print format. If we don't, request the article from another library. It takes anywhere from 24 hours to a week for these to arrive - watch for an e-mail with a link to the scanned article.
Citing Your Sources
Documentation Guide - Includes models for APA, MLA, and Chicago styles.
Using RefWorks to compile and format your citations
In some databases, there's an option to export your references to RefWorks. This is a citation management program you can use to store and reformat references in any of a variety of styles.
First, you need to set up a personal account from a computer on the campus network.
Later, log in and use the system to input references by hand, sort out your references into folders, add notes if you want, and then export in whatever citation format you prefer.
- To send references to your RefWorks account from RILM, mark the references you want to save, then click on "save to RefWorks."
- To send references from other databases or from the MnPALS catalog, look for an option to export to a citation management program.
- You can then move them from the "last imported" file into a folder of your choosing. Or you can choose items you want to format for a bibliography and put them in "my list" temporarily.
To print out references -
- click on "bibliography" and choose a citation style.
- choose a folder or "my list"
- choose whether to create a text, html, or Word document, then cut and paste into your paper.
- "write 'n cite" is a plug-in program for use with Word - not necessary, but an option.
- NOTE: When you import from different databases, you'll need to do some editing. Edit your final works cited list to make sure the entries are all complete and consistent.
last updated 9/06
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