COR 101 Guide January 2016

The journal articles you need for your assignments can be found in our online databases.

The complete list of databases available can be found on our website.

Articles not available in full text can be requested through Interlibrary Loan (ILL). Contact the library for help with ILL.

Off-campus access to most online databases requires a username and password. Drop by the library to get this information.

Search for Books, eBooks, Print Journals and DVDs

The library's online catalog, Alexandria, can be used to find both books and ebooks.

Books in the standard collection may be borrowed for three weeks. Books placed on reserve by your professor will have a shorter loan period. Books not available from the library can be borrowed through AcademicSHARE or Interlibrary Loan (ILL). Contact the library for help. To find items held by Villa and other libraries, try WorldCat.

Don't forget your Villa Maria College ID card to check out books!

Google Help

The open web has a number of quality resources, but they are often mixed in with a large number of less reliable sites. Evaluation is an essential part of online research, so keep the CRAAP test from the Meriam Library (CSU, Chico) on hand.

Site Searching

Limit your search to a specific website or domain by using site:.

Example: "mission" site:villa.edu

This will give you instances of the word "mission" exclusively found on Villa's website.

Example: "mission" site:.edu

This will give you instances of the word "mission" exclusively found on websites with an education domain (.edu).

Remember: .edu and .gov are restricted to educational and government institutions, respectively.

.org is used by organizations of all types. That means many will be reliable, but you will still want to use the CRAAP test to find out more about the organization!

Writing Help

Citation Machine

Citation generators can make formatting your citations a lot easier. Don't forget: you still need to review your citations for accuracy and formatting!

How to Write a College Paper

Villanova University's Writing Center's guide covers the steps to writing a college paper from getting started to polishing tips.

Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)

Citation help for both APA and MLA, research help, general and subject-specific writing as well as ESL are addressed here.

Writing in College: A Short Guide to College Writing

The University of Chicago's collegiate writing guide is a resource for bringing your writing to the college level.

Writing Resources from Hamilton College

Guides for writing essays in many different subject areas, personal statements, labs, journals, as well as citation and grammar help.