If you need help using the resources described on this page, you can ask at the Library Reference Desk (2nd floor of The Valley Library) or via the OSU Libraries' online reference services. You'll find this option in Blackboard by using the tab for "Libraries." Look for the link to "Ask a Librarian."
If you need help deciding on a database or search strategy (i.e. what terms to use for your topic) contact me by email. It is helpful to identify the class you are in, your topic and how you have gone about your search to date.
Course Learning Outcomes and Library Related Assignments
Learning Outcomes: Having successfully completed this course, you will be able to:
Explain basic research methodology and the scientific method.
Recognize and correctly use the terminology of research.
Interpret and critique research articles, publications, and reports.
Apply research methods to problems.
Library assignment (Due Wednesday, 1/10/07):
List ten peer-reviewed journals available from the Valley Library that contain articles relevant to social science research.
Find another journal article that cites the McFarlane et al paper listed below: McFarlane, B. L., Boxall, P.C., & Watson, D.O. (1998). Past experience and behavioral choice among wilderness users. Journal of Leisure Research 30(2): 195-213
Provide the correct APA citation for the article you found.
[Read these articles: the cited article (McFarlane et al) and the source article (the one you found).]
Explain and submit on paper how the article you found differs from the McFarlane et al. article.
Even though you have a specific assignment for the Library, other assignments will be enhanced by your use of the library, specifically:
Week 2:
Choose any four MS or Ph.D manuscripts from Rm 280 or The Valley Library and identify the author, the title, the year, and research problem statement or research question(s). If no research problem statement or research question is evident, suggest one.
Group Research Topics due.
Week 4: Submit draft of bibliography.
Week 9/10: Research Presentation.
Planning Ahead
We will meet in the library on the first day of class. You may find we cover a lot of material during that session. If you feel overloaded with information don't panic. The goal for that time is to be sure you can complete your library assignment successfully and to point you to resources you may need later in the term.
In general, the first week of classes is a good time to be sure you are familiar with the range of library services and resources related to your class and that you know that you can:
Use the Summit catalog to see what books and reports are available on your topic in Oregon/Washington and request them electronically if needed.
Use the research oriented databases to locate scholarly articles on your topic and,
if available, access these articles directly as pdf files or,
if available in paper at OSUL, request a copy of the article be sent to you, or
if unavailable at OSUL, request an "interlibrary loan" so that you will receive the article from another library.
By the second week, begin with a small research assignment. Try to find at least two or three articles in research journals related to some aspect of your group topic before turning in your topic.
In the process of looking for even two good references, you will acquire a lot of information about terminology to use in your search and about which databases will be of most help to you.
You will be able to get a better idea of who is writing or has done research on your topic from both the authors of the articles you find and from the references they use (their bibliography). This will take you back in time.
If you find a really great article, remember you can use the "cited reference search" feature of the "Web of Science" database to find out if anyone has cited that article since it was written. This will bring you forward in time.
Your draft bibliography is due week 5.
Try to make that bibliography as useful and relevant to your project as possible. Use multiple resources. Google is useful but it is only one tool. Library databases may take more effort, but they will also result in a better final product. Among other things, they usually have abstracts that can help you decide if an article will be useful before reading it.
Try to have your final "literature review" done at least 2 weeks before you plan to put your draft presentation together. In this way, if you need to request items via Summit or via interlibrary loan you must allowed time for the request to be processed and the item retrieved and sent to you via the mail if it cannot be sent electronically.
Finding Articles in the Social Science Research Literature
The Valley Library has several databases which index peer-reviewed journals relevant to topics in natural resource management and the social sciences including Recreation Research. The process of "peer-review" (sometimes called "refereeing") is discipline and journal specific. It assures that the articles which are published in these journals represent good scientific methodology and can be regarded as a contribution to the literature of that field of study. If in doubt about whether a journal contains peer reviewed articles, ask.
Most databases noted here index a high percentage of "refereed" journals and therefore a high percentage of peer reviewed articles. They may also include first hand reporting of research findings or state-of-the-art reviews from other sources such as federal agency reports, dissertations, conference proceedings, professional journals, etc. All of these may prove useful resources for your topic, though because this is a research methods course, you will want to place a high value on finding "peer reviewed" references.
Accessing library databases
The Library purchases access to "indexing" databases in order for you to identify articles on specific topics. These databases are independent of the holdings of any one library.
To locate references to articles in the scientific literature using these databases, begin at the OSU Libraries home page:http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu. Click on "Databases," and then on the first letter of the name of the database you want to use. Because they are not all provided on the same web "platform" you cannot (with a few exceptions) search across several databases as once.
Most databases are not freely available to the public. They are licensed to the library for OSU use. If you are not on campus, you will encounter our "proxy server" asking you to "authenticate" yourself as a qualified OSU user by entering your name and (new) OSU ID number. Apart from this, you should never be asked for an username and password while attempting to use a database. If you are asked for one, this is usually an indication that the ports are busy. Just try again later.
Selecting Databases to Search
When considering a database, it is important to be aware of its content including:
Subject coverage
Types of publications indexed in the database e.g., research journals, popular magazines, conference proceedings, government documents, etc.
Dates of coverage
Here are some suggestions for databases to use for locating research findings in the field of Recreation.
NOTE: Links will take you to the appropriate page of the database list, but not to the database itself.
As you investigate these databases, you will begin to notice certain recreation journals title keep coming up. Make a list of these and see if they are included in the catalog in order to complete part I of today's assignment.
Academic Search Premier -- 1975-date -- Indexes both peer reviewed ("academic") and popular literature on a wide variety of fields. This is a database to try if you are unfamiliar with searching, but like Google, consider it a beginning point, not an end point. Many articles are available in full-text or as pdf.
CAB Abstracts -- 1973-date -- Indexes may fields of agriculture and natural resources including, Leisure and Tourism, and has an international focus. It covers the peer reviewed literature well (as opposed to popular or extension writing). Use the thesaurus to discover new terminology.
Index to research articles, government and independent reports and conference papers covering all areas of education at all levels.
Forest Science -- 1939-date -- This is a subset of CAB Abstracts but covers a longer timeframe. It indexes the peer-reviewed and agency report literature of Forestry from an international perspective, but covers North America well. Considered by many the ultimate Forestry Database covering all aspects including recreational uses.
PsychINFO (via EBSCOHost) -- 1887-date -- This is the premier database for psychology. It is sponsored by the American Psychological Association (APA) and covers psychology and related disciplines, dating as far back as the 1800s. 97 percent of the covered material is peer-reviewed. The database also includes information about the psychological aspects of related fields such as medicine, psychiatry, nursing, sociology, education, pharmacology, physiology, linguistics, anthropology, business, law and others.
Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection (EBSCOHost) -- 1965 - date --This database provides coverage of nearly 550 full text journals, including more than 500 peer-reviewed titles. Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection covers topics such as emotional and behavioral characteristics, psychiatry & psychology, mental processes, anthropology, and observational and experimental methods. Nearly every full text title included in this database is indexed in PsycINFO.
Science.gov -- [2004] to date -- Science.gov is a new "gateway to authoritative selected science information provided by U.S. Government agencies, including research and development results." When you are not sure which agency may have done current research on a topic this will be a good search service to try.
Social Sciences in Forestry -- 1985 to date-- . This small database (produced by the University of Minnesota) indexes publications in 41 subject areas including legislation, policy and planning, management, economic development, investment and finance, etc. as they relate to forestry. You will likely need to use interlibrary loan to get items indexed in this database.
Sociological Abstracts -- 1963 to date -- This is a major database for the social sciences in general and covers current research social policy and community development. The database abstracts and indexes over 1,300+ serials publications and includes abstracts of journal articles and dissertations, and citations to book reviews.
TreeSearch -- 1997 to date -- Indexes research report series published by the US Forest Service and as of 2004, includes the full-text of all peer reviewed research published by authors employed by the USFS.
Trail Planning, Construction and Maintenance -- 1984 to date -- This small database (produced by the University of Minnesota) indexes publications relating to the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of all types of trails. Includes trail use studies. You will likely need to use interlibrary loan to get items index here.
Web of Science (Science Citation Index and Social Sciences Citation Index) -- 1996 to date -- This is the database to use in order to answer part two of today's exercise. It indexes the major peer-reviewed journals in all fields of science. Represents core life science journals defined as those most often cited in peer-reviewed research articles. Searchable by topic, author, journal name, cited author, and cited journal. One way to use Science Citation Index to help you with this term paper is to see who might have cited the papers listed under Suggested Topics in the course information. The assumption is that these later authors would be working on similar research.
These databases all have accessible help pages that provide tips and advice for effective searching.
Once you have done a search in one or more of these databases you should have a list of articles which are potentially relevant to your project topic.
Four things to know about databases before you do your first search
If you are new to database searching or haven't searched for a year or so, follow the "more" link below for some tips.
Get This Item: Many of the databases listed above contain a button called "Get This Item" or "Webbridge." Using this link will open a window with links to the library catalog and to the e-journal list so you can investigate the availability of the source journal. In the ideal case, it will result in a direct link to the full-text of the article.
E-Journal list: If you have a reference and want to see if OSU Libraries subscribes to the electronic version of that journal (or some service that provides the full-text from that journal), click the E-Journals link on the Library's home page and type in the name of the journal that you need. If the article you need is not available from the E-Journals list, then try the catalog.
Online Catalog: Search the online catalog (limit to "journals") to see if the library has a paper copy of the journal. You can then photocopy the article. Most bound journals circulate for three days. Unbound journals do not circulate outside the library.
** If you choose, you can try a Google Advanced Search. It is best to search the title of the article as an exact phrase). This is a long shot so if it doesn't work immediately, a better use of you time is checking to see if the library has the journal in some format and if not, filling out the interlibrary loan request form. If you decide to post your own articles to the web, be sure that you know what copyright restrictions apply by contacting the publisher. When this is allowed, it is more often the case that you are allowed post the pre-formated version (of your own articles only) but not the final journal formated version.
If you are a graduate student, you should not expect that OSU Libraries will subscribe to or own every journals you need. You will need to use Interlibrary loan to obtain the articles.
Interlibrary Loans (ILL)
You can get a copy of any journal article not available at OSU Libraries by using Interlibrary Loan (ILL). This service is free to you.
You must have an ONID account to register for ILL. From the OSU Libraries catalog, look for the link to Interlibrary Loan and select "Log on for ILL Service." Consider registering now, before you actually need to request an article.
We are able to obtain the majority of requested articles within 5-7 days depending on the number of libraries owning the journal. Some requests take more time some take less. On the rare occasion that the Library is unable to identify a lending library, we will try to get the information you will need to contact the author directly.
Articles usually come as PDF files that are sent you a secure website for your use. You can also use ILL to request books (or chapters of books) if you are unable to locate then in the Summit catalog.
Finding Books and Reports: If you are looking for books, begin your search with the OSU Libraries Catalog.
Search by keyword. Use quotation marks around phrases. Ex: "forest ecology"
Look for the latest edition of the book titled "Balancing Act: environmental issues in forestry" by the author "Kimmins, J. P."
You will see two copies, one is at our branch library on the Bend/Cascades campus (too far to walk) the other is in The Valley Library.
Find its call number and use the Call Number Directory locate the floor its on (use the first letter of the call number).
Check the "Status" to see if the book should be "available" (i.e. on the shelf) or if is it checked out (look for a "DUE" date).
If the book you want is checked out or you don't find it in your catalog search, use the "Repeat in Summit" button (located to the right on the screen) and see if it's available at one of our partner libraries in Oregon and Washington.
In the Summit catalog, click on the line that tells you how many libraries have the book. If OSU doesn't have it, or our copy is checked out, click on "Request this Item" and complete the information asked for.
It will take 3 workdays for the book to arrive at the Valley Library. A notice will be sent to your ONID email when it's in and it will be held for 5 days for you to pick-up.
Finding a Thesis or Dissertation
Theses and dissertations written by students at OSU will appear in the online catalog (and in Summit). They are housed in the library under the general call number LD4330 and then grouped by year and then by author last name. Since 2006, theses and dissertations are submitted electronically to the ScholarsArchive@OSU with a link in the catalog. If you add the term "theses" to any keyword search in the catalog you will get theses and dissertations on that subject (or by that author) -- but only those from OSU.
Masters theses are often only cataloged by the local library but you can use WorldCat to identify these or for those written between 1900 and 1992 in the U.S. you could use the 7 volume work "Forestry theses accepted by colleges and universities in the United State " created by some dedicated OSU librarians of years past (these are available as pdf files).
Useful Websites for Recreation and Social Forestry
For many other useful guides to Recreation Research material on the web, use the advanced search feature of Google to search for "Recreation Research" BUT limit your search to the domain ".edu"