Abstract: a summary or brief description of the content of a longer work.
Annotated bibliography: A list of citations to sources like books and articles, each of which is followed by a descriptive and explanatory paragraph.
Article: a brief work on a topic, usually published as part of a journal, magazine, or newspaper.
Author: the person(s) or organization(s) that wrote or compiled a document.
Bibliography: a list containing citations to the resources used in writing a research paper or other document.
Boolean Operator: a word - such as AND, OR, or NOT - that commands a computer to combine search terms.
Call Number: a combination of letters and numbers that identifies a specific item in a library, tells you where it is located in the library, and organizes materials by subject.
Catalog: a database listing and describing the books, music, and other materials held by the library.
Check Out: the ability to take most materials out of the library for a limited time using your TU ID card. Check out is done from the circulation desk.
Circulation Desk: the place to check out and return most library materials.
Citation: a reference to a book, article, or other work containing all the information necessary to identify and locate that work. A citation to a book includes the author’s name, title, publisher, and place of publication, and date of publication
Database: a collection of information stored in an electronic format that can by searched by a computer.
DOI (Digital Object Identifier): A unique identifier assigned to individual articles by a DOI Registration Agency, so that individual scholarly works can be precisely identified and located
Due Date: the date by which you must return to the library any library material(s) you have checked out.
Editor: A person or group responsible for compiling the writings of others into a single information source. Many scholarly books have editors who compile chapters written by a variety of authors.
Full Text: a complete electronic copy of a resource, usually an article.
ILLiad: a software system that institutions, including Dickinson College, use to process, track, and manage requests for interlibrary loan.
Information Literacy: The ability to determine when you need information, and to locate, evaluate, and use the most reliable and relevant information to address your need.
Interlibrary Loan: a FREE service that allows you to borrow materials from other libraries that McFarlin Library does not own. We do NOT interlibrary loan current textbooks.
ISBN (International Standard Book Number): A 10- or 13-digit number specifically identifying books published internationally.
ISSN (International Standard Serial Number): An 8-digit number specifically identifying serial publications, such as an academic journal.
Journal: a publication, issued on a regular basis, that contains scholarly research published as articles.
Keyword: a significant word or term in the title, abstract, or text of an information resource that indicates its subject and is often used as a search term.
Library of Congress: The official library of the US Congress. It publishes the Library of Congress Classification System, which is used to organize books and other materials in the library.
Loan Period: the length of time library materials may be borrowed.
Magazine: A non-scholarly publication issued on a regular basis containing popular articles, written and illustrated in a less technical matter than the articles found in a journal.
Microform: A reduced size photographic reproduction of printed information on reel to reel film.
Newspaper: A non-scholarly publication containing information about varied topics that are pertinent to general information, a geographic area, or a specific subject matter. Often published daily.
Open access: Free access to sources like books and journals online that have been published under an Open Access license.
Peer Reviewed Journal: peer review is a process by which editors have experts (peers) in a field review books or articles submitted for publication. Peer reviewed journals are also called refereed or scholarly journals.
Periodical: publications with reports on recent studies and/or scholarly essays that are printed on a regular basis. Journals, magazines, and newspapers are all periodicals.
Plagiarism: The act of copying another’s intellectual work without appropriate attribution through citation.
Primary Source: An original record of events, such as a diary, a newspaper article, a public record, or scientific documentation.
Proxy Server: an intermediary server that allow users to access subscription resources when they are off-campus. If you want to access library materials when you are off-campus, make sure to follow the directions from IT found here.
Recall: a service by which a patron can request a book be brought back to the library that has already been checked out by another person. When the material is returned you will be notified. If a book you have borrowed is recalled, you must return it to the libraries within two weeks.
Reference Collection: the reference collection consists of materials used frequently for general information. It includes encyclopedias, dictionaries, indexes, and other materials. These materials may not be checked out of the library.
Reference Desk: the reference desk is the best place to ask questions or begin your research.
Remote Access: use of library electronic information when off-campus.
Renew: allows you to extend the loan period for the book that you have checked out unless the book has been recalled.
Reserves: materials set aside by professors for required reading by students as part of their coursework. Reserves can be found at the circulation desk.
Stacks: shelves in the library where materials - typically books - are stored.
Scholarly Article: articles written by experts in academic or professional fields. They are excellent sources for finding out what has been studied or researched on a topic as well as to find bibliographies that point to other relevant sources of information.
URL (Uniform Resource Locator): The address of a World Wide Web page, often starting with "https://www."
Volume: can mean either a single book that is a part of a large collection. Or, for academic journals, volume often refers to the issues that are published in a given year.
WorldCat: The world’s largest network of library resources that allows you to search for materials in approximately 71,000 libraries worldwide, so that you can find material that McFarlin doesn’t own. You can use Interlibrary Loan to request many of these materials.
Zbib.org: this is web-based version of Zotero that can quickly generate citations in various formats such as APA and MLA.
Zotero: a free citation software that can be downloaded onto your personal device to store both articles and citations, as well as create bibliographies.
