Contents


Your Course LibrariaNS

Questions about your research or the libraries?  Ask your course librarians!

  • Hans Raum, Government Documents and the Vermont Collection, Main Library 211, x5493, raum@middlebury.edu
  • Carrie Macfarlane, Reference and Instruction Librarian for the Sciences, Armstrong Library 206, x5018, cmacfarl@middlebury.edu

Evaluating Sources




Encyclopedias and Dictionaries

AccessScience (McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology Online)  

Provides authoritative information for non-specialists on a wide variety of science-related topics. This is a subscription resource; for off-campus access, enter your username and password when prompted.

Gale Virtual Reference Library

A collection of subject-specific encyclopedias published by Gale.  Search across the whole collection or narrow your search by subject area or title of reference work. This is a subscription resource; for off-campus access, enter your Middlebury username and password when prompted.

Oxford Reference Collection

Comprehensive online reference package for a broad range of subject areas.  Includes dictionaries, maps, timelines, and more. This is a subscription resource; for off-campus access, enter your Middlebury username and password when prompted.

Wikipedia

Free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.  How big is Wikipedia? See the image.

go/eref

More online reference sources


Finding Books

MIDCAT

Middlebury College Library Catalog.
Tips:
> Enclose phrases in quotes " "
> Truncate terms using an asterisk * .
> Not available in MIDCAT? Check NExpress (see Locating Books and Journals in the Libraries).


Finding Journal and Magazine Articles

Academic OneFile

1980 - current. Interdisciplinary index covering over 10,000 scholarly and popular journals and magazines.  Most references include full-text or links to full-text. Contains all of Expanded Academic Index ASAP. Coverage of scientific journals is limited. This is a subscription resource; for off-campus access, enter your Middlebury username and password when prompted.
Tips:
> Enclose phrases in quotes " " .
> Truncate search terms with an asterisk * .
> For more tips, click "Help" in the upper-right of the search screen.

Basic BIOSIS

Current and four previous years.  Covers approximately 370 core scholarly life science journals found in college libraries. Offers effective searching by scientific name.  This is a subscription resource; for off-campus access, enter your Middlebury username and password when prompted. (For references to articles published 1926-1993, see Biological Abstracts, Armstrong Library Ref Index QH301 B34.)
Tips:
>
Enclose phrases in quotes " " .
> Truncate using an asterisk * .
> More tips at Using FirstSearch: Search Statements.

JSTOR
1600s-five years ago. JSTOR is an archive of several hundred core scholarly journals in numerous disciplines. Because of JSTOR's archival mission, there is a gap, typically from 1 to 5 years, between the most recently published journal issue and the back issues available in JSTOR. This is a subscription resource; for off-campus access, enter your Middlebury username and password when prompted.
Tips:
>
Enclose phrases in quotes " " .
> Truncate using an asterisk * .
> More tips at JSTOR Help Topics.
Web of Science (Science Citation Index)

1985-current. Together, the Science Citation Index and the Social Sciences Citation Index cover several thousand scholarly journals worldwide. The Science Citation Index segment covers core science and technology research journals. Special features include cited article searching and discovery of related articles through common terms. This is a subscription resource; for off-campus access, enter your Middlebury username and password when prompted.  (For references to articles published 1974-1989, use SciSearch via Dialog on Library computers; ask the Science Librarian for assistance.)
Tips:
>
Enclose phrases in quotes " "
> Truncate terms using an asterisk * .
> For more tips, see Web of Knowledge Help or the online Tutorial.

Indexes & Databases by Subject

More indexes and databases


Finding All Kinds of Sources

Google Scholar

Searches for many types of primarily scholarly sources including peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, abstracts and articles, from academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories, universities and other organizations.  Some documents will be available for free while others require a subscription or a one-time access fee.
Tips:
> To link to Midd Full-Text, including our online subscriptions, from your Google Scholar results: 1) Click on "Scholar Preferences," 2) In the "Library Links" section, search for "Middlebury," and 3) Select "Middlebury College" and then "Save Preferences."
> Enclose phrases in quotes " "

Scirus

Searches for science-related and primarily scholarly sources including peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, abstracts and articles, from academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories, universities and other organizations. Some documents will be available for free while others require a subscription or a one-time access fee.
Tips:
> To link to Midd Full-Text, including our online subscriptions, from your Scirus results: 1) Click on "Search Preferences," 2) For Library Partner Links, click "Enable," 3) Click "M" and then select "Middlebury College" from the drop-down list, and 4) Click "Save Preferences."
> Enclose phrases in quotes " "
>
Use an asterisk * to replace multiple characters anywhere in a word



Locating Books and Journals in the Libraries

Have only a citation? Here's how to locate the article or book online or in print.

Articles

  1. If you've found the citation in a journal index (e.g. web of Science) and the article is not available there, look for a link to full-text. These links vary but usually say something like “Find…” or “Link to…”.  A new window will open; follow the links it provides to find the journal online or in print.
  2. Alternatively, go to the Print and E-Journals A-Z list and search for the journal title. Follow the links it provides to find the journal online or in print.
  3. If we have the journal only in print, follow the MIDCAT link for location information:
    a. In MIDCAT, look at the column labeled "Location." The Armstrong (Science) Library is in McCardell-Bicentennial Hall. The Main Library is on Storrs Avenue. The Music Library is in the Center for the Arts. 
    b. Once you're in the library, find out where the call number (see the column labeled "Call No.") is located. Ask for assistance at any desk.
  4. If we don't subscribe to the journal, request it from another library through NExpress (see NExpress at Middlebury for details). If the journal is not available in NExpress, request it through traditional interlibrary loan using the Illiad form.

Books

If your book is available in MIDCAT:

  1. In MIDCAT, look at the column labeled "Location."  The Armstrong (Science) Library is in McCardell-Bicentennial Hall.  The Main Library is on Storrs Avenue. The Music Library is in the Center for the Arts.
  2. Once you're in the library, find out where the call number (see the column labeled "Call No.") is located. Ask for assistance at any desk.

If your book is not available in MIDCAT:

  1. In MIDCAT, click on the  button to request it from another library (see NExpress at Middlebury for details).
  2. If the book is not available in NExpress, request it through traditional interlibrary loan using the Illiad form.


Citing Sources

Photo of a student approaching the Main Library
Gateways For: