guide

When you are doing research on a topic, you will often encounter unfamiliar terms, or familiar ones used in a specialized way. Dictionaries can provide a quick definition and often some elaboration on the uses of the term. Encyclopedias provide background information on unfamiliar subjects, leading you quickly to key ideas and sources in developing your topic. Many encyclopedia articles will also include brief bibliographies which will lead you to further sources of information.

When you are doing research on a topic, you will often encounter unfamiliar terms, or familiar ones used in a specialized way. Dictionaries can provide a quick definition and often some elaboration on the uses of the term. Encyclopedias provide background information on unfamiliar subjects, leading you quickly to key ideas and sources in developing your topic. Many encyclopedia articles will also include brief bibliographies which will lead you to further sources of information.

• Finding Background Information: History
• Finding Books: History
• Finding Journal (and Newspaper) Articles: History
• Finding Information About People: History
• Finding Information About Organizations: History
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To learn more about your responsibility to cite sources, visit the library's Academic Integrity Portal. In short: if you used it, you should cite it.

Various standards have been created for citing sources, including MLA (Modern Language Association), APA (American Psychological Association), and Chicago formats. Specifc professions may adopt their own styles. Please note that standards for citing electronic information are still evolving; many print and electronic style guides may appear to be inconsistent in their instructions.

When looking for journal articles, I would recommend starting with a general database like Academic Search Complete. It is very user-friendly, fairly comprehensive, and includes many instances of full-text articles.

Information about people can be found in books, journals, and websites. Many artists will not have had an entire book written about them, so biographical dictionaries such as those listed below are a good place to start. Staff at the library service desk can help you locate the print reference books on this list.  A list of bibliographical references (citations) may be included in these sources, which you can use to find additional information.

When you are researching a topic, you will often encounter unfamiliar terms, or familiar ones used in a specialized way. DICTIONARIES provide a quick definition and often some elaboration on the uses of the term. ENCYCLOPEDIAS provide background information for understanding and developing your topic. Encyclopedia articles may also include brief bibliographies which should give you further sources of information and avenues to explore.

Vermeer -- View of Delft

When information is quoted, paraphrased, or summarized, the source of that information must be documented. Otherwise, you are guilty of plagiarism. This tutorial provides information on avoiding plagiarism.

Various standards have been created for citing sources. Check with your professor if you are not certain which style to use.

The most current research on any academic topic is usually found in journal articles.

Step 1
Use article databases (indexes) to find articles on a particular topic.

Article Databases are available through the Library's website for both on-campus and off-campus access. Off-campus users will be prompted for their UPEI username and password. Note that in addition to providing  article citations, some of the databases include the fulltext of articles.

To find books on a particular topic, begin with a keyword search in 

When you are doing research on a topic, you will often require a quick definition of a term, a specific fact, or condensed, detailed information about particular topics. Dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks and manuals for environmental studies include:


Dictionary of Environment & Ecology
E-Book 2010

Encyclopedia of Earth
Internet Resource

• Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, Handbooks: Environmental Studies
• Finding Books, E-Books & Videos: Environmental Studies
• Finding Articles: Environmental Studies
• Citing Sources: Environmental Studies
• Web Resources

Citations allow researchers to give credit, to show their work, and to demonstrate that their claims are supported by evidence. You are expected to cite the sources of information you use in a paper or project, whether you quote a source directly or summarize what you learned from it.

Citations are an important part of academic integrity at UPEI. Visit the Academic Integrity Portal for more information and to access relevant policies and tutorials.

African American Women in the Nineteenth Century
This is a digital collection of 42 published works by 19th-century black women writers published before 1920 and prepared by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Each work is available as a full-text PDF, and the list can be browsed in full or by genre - fiction, poetry, biography, autobiography, and essay.   The site provides brief biographical information about each author and the era in which she wrote.

• Literary Terms: English
• Research Guides: English

Literary Research Guides

Credo Reference Guides

A Contemporary Guide to Literary Terms: With Strategies for Writing Essays About Literature (Barton)

The most current research on any academic topic is usually found in journal articles.

Step 1
Use indexes to find articles on a particular topic.                 

Article Databases are available through the Library's website for both on-campus and off-campus access. Off-campus users will be prompted for their UPEI username and password. Note that in addition to providing references to articles, some of the databases include the fulltext of articles.

Finding Books

Search for books (both print and electronic) and other materials about your subject using OneSearch.

The location and call numbers for print books are listed with each book. Ebooks will provide a link to an electronic version. For more information, see "Find Books & More."

• Books: English
• Journal Articles: English
• Reference Sources: English
• Web Resources: English
• Citing Sources: English

These are some of the current awareness tools and alerting services that are available to you.

Institute of Physics
To set up Table of Contents alerts: click User Options in the tool bar.

SpringerLink
To set up Table of Contents or Keyword alerts: see the Alerts link in the lower left of the screen.

When information is quoted, paraphrased, or summarized, the source of that information must be documented. Otherwise, you are guilty of plagiarism.

Various standards have been created for citing sources in different disciplines including IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers), APA (American Psychological Association), and the MLA (Modern Languages Association). Unless your professor tells you otherwise, the preferred style for citing sources in your assignments is the IEEE style. See the following for help with this style.

Grey Literature

Grey literature encompasses almost half of all engineering publications. It includes conference literature, research and technical reports, and government information. Some useful access sites for grey literature include:

There are many Web resources relating to Engineering. To locate authoritative sites look for those created by professional organizations, academic institutions, research agencies, or government departments.

For help in using search tools and evaluating web sites, see Finding Quality Web Information.

Gateways:
These sites will lead you to other more specific sites for Engineering information.

The most current research on any academic topic is usually found in journal articles.

Step 1
Use indexes to find articles on a particular topic.

To find books about your subject, use the Library Catalogue. Location codes and call numbers are included for each item. Selected electronic resources are also included in the Online Catalogue.

Examples of subject headings to check:

Engineers
Chemical engineering
Electric engineering
Tunneling

Many headings are used with subdivisions, either for a particular geographical area, such as:

Engineering -- Canada

When you are doing research on a topic, you will often need a quick definition of a term, a specific fact, or condensed, detailed information about particular topics. Listed below are some representative engineering reference titles.

Finding definitions (dictionaries)

This page is an introduction to using the library to find information. It gives you an overview of the research process, the types of information available, and the basic research tools.

Additional help

Step 1: Select topic and identify your keywords

Engineering Subject Librarian: Mackenzie Johnson mtjohnson@upei.ca or 902-620-5290
Library Service Desk: in person, via the online AskUs chat tool, reference@upei.ca, 902-566-0583

"Grey literature" means documents that are not formally published books or articles. It typically means reports by governments, non-profit advocacy/foundation groups, and the like, but in education can also mean lesson plans, curriculum standards, and other direct teaching materials.

Finding grey literature:

  Most important search engine ("database"):

• ERIC (EBSCOhost) - most comprehensive index for education related magazines and journals; also includes some books and other kinds of publications.

Two other important search engines:

Livres :

Education Research

• Background information
• Articles
• Canadian-specific articles
• Education outside of traditional K-12 context
• Canadian government publications - policy, frameworks, etc.
• Books
• Other useful information

Be sure to know if your professor has requested you use a specific style for citing, otherwise, choose one style to follow, and remain consistent throughout your work.

The most common citation styles used in Economics are APA and MLA. 

Citing Sources (includes information specific to APA, MLA, and others).

RefWorks - free service for UPEI researchers, helps you manage your citations and output your bibliography in whatever style you need

There is no shortage of Economics resources on the Internet, but it is important to recognize high quality, authoritative information: Finding Quality Web Information

Professional organizations:

Organizations and associations can be excellent resources for finding specialized information on a topic. Directories can be ideal for identifying these, and provide information such as personnel, contact information, and publications.

To locate information about economic organizations and associations, use directories such as:

Information about individuals can be found in books, journals, and websites. To find books, search the individual's name as a subject in OneSearch

Canada | United States | International

See also Open Data Resources and Google Dataset Search for raw data sets and Finding Statistics and Market Data: Business Administration

The most current research on any academic topic is most often found in journal articles. Journal articles typically provide information on specific research, events, or discoveries in a particular field. They do not usually provide background information or basic information.

To find books or video materials on a particular topic, begin with a keyword search in OneSearch and use the limiter for Books Only, or do your search first then use the "Source Type" limiter on the left side for Books, eBooks, and/or Videos as needed.

Date Revised: 2023-06-22

Gale Virtual Reference Library - contains hundreds of major encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, and other useful books, with over 80,000 entries relating to economics

• Finding Background Information: Economics
• Finding Books: Economics
• Finding Journal Articles: Economics
• Finding Statistics: Economics
• Finding Information About People: Economics
• Finding Information About Organizations: Economics

The Chicago Homer, ed. by Ahuvia Kahane and Martin Mueller.  "The depth and sophistication of The Chicago Homer is truly remarkable. It is simply the best digital resource on early Greek epic available."  ( Quote from reviewer, F. A. Grabowski, Rogers State University)

 OneSearch 

Catalogue

Article Databases can be general or specific to a subject:

When information is quoted, paraphrased, or summarized, the source of that information must be documented. Otherwise, you are guilty of plagiarism. To help you in avoiding this offence, see this tutorial. 

Information about people can be found in books, journals, and websites. To find books, do a Subject search in the Library Catalogue for a specific individual (e.g., Thucydides). or do a Keyword Search using a combination of terms appropriate to your search (e.g. classic, ancient, biograph). For information on people in ancient times, check encyclopedias or special biographical dictionaries for specific entry names.

When you are doing research on a topic, you will often encounter unfamiliar terms, or familiar ones used in a specialized way. DICTIONARIES can provide a quick definition and often some elaboration on the uses of the term. ENCYCLOPEDIAS provide background information on unfamiliar subjects, leading you quickly to key ideas and sources in developing your topic. Many encyclopedia articles will also include brief bibliographies which will lead you to further sources of information. Material in the Reference area (REF) can be used in the Library -- but can not be borrowed.

• Quick Information Tools: Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, Atlases, etc.: Classics
• About People: Classics
• Citing Sources: Classics
• Journal Articles: Classics
• UPEI's Classics Department
• Web Resources