Hermann Memorial Library/SUNY Sullivan County Community College GLOSSARY of Internet and Library Terms Abstract Access point Access tool AND Author field Bibliography Biography Boolean logic (Operators) Call number A brief summary or description of the main ideas of a book, article, or other document. Searchable fields of a record in a database used to retrieve information. Bibliography, catalog, database, or other information source which leads you to information on your topic. Examples: Sullivan catalog, Academic Search Complete database. The Boolean operator used to narrow a search result. The field in a record in a database where the author or authors are listed. A list of citations for books, periodicals, or other materials on a given topic usually found at the end of scholarly articles, books, or research papers. Annotated bibliographies provide concise summaries of each source. An account of a person s life written by someone other than that person. The connectors AND, OR, NOT used to combine key words or subjects to narrow, broaden or limit a computer search. Named after George Boole, a 19 th century British mathematician. A combination of letters and numbers placed on the spine of a book indicating where the book is located in the library.
Catalog Citation Classification system Controlled vocabulary Database E-journal Fields Format A tool used to learn what a library owns and where it is located. A standard format is used to describe books, journals, audiovisual holdings, etc. Most catalogs are now online and computerized. (see OPAC) Information which fully identifies a publication. A complete citation usually includes author, title, name of journal (if the citation is to an article) or publisher (if to a book), or internet address or URL (if to a website), and date. The form of the citation depends on the style required: Modern Language Association (MLA) or American Psychological Association (APA). Used by libraries to arrange materials by subject. Dew Decimal System and Library of Congress Classification System are the most frequently used classification systems. A listing of words or terms which must be used as subject headings or descriptors in a particular database. (see Thesaurus) An organized collection of computer records in a standardized format that can be stored and accessed in a variety of ways. Journal published in electronic format The individual areas of a database record. Examples include the title field, the subject field, the author field, etc. The manner in which information is presented--includes print, audiovisual, electronic or digital. A magazine can be in print and/or electronic format, whereas a musical recording or videotape is in an audiovisual format.
Full-text Home Page Index Internet Journal Keyword searching Natural language NOT OPAC OR Periodical/serial The entire text of an article which has been entered or scanned into a database. The cover page of a website. It may include tabs that point to the pages that comprise the website. An alphabetical listing of the contents of a book, periodical, or publication. The global communication network that allows almost all computers worldwide to connect and exchange information. Generally used to describe a scholarly magazine or periodical Keyword searching allows you to retrieve information in a database by looking for a word or combination of words. Key words can be used in general free-text searching. A search statement expressed in normal language. Example: Why is the sky blue? The Boolean operator NOT is used to exclude words or phrases from a search. Bass NOT fish finds information on the musical instrument but excludes information on the bass fish. Stands for Online Public Access Catalog. A computerized catalog. The OR operator broadens a search by including any of the terms. Examples: cinema OR film OR movie OR moving picture OR documentary A magazine, newspaper, scholarly journal, or serial which is published on a regular schedule: daily, weekly, monthly, bi-monthly and so on.
Plagiarism Primary source Record Review Search strategy Secondary source Subject field Plagiarism is the unethical and dishonest act of using the ideas and wording of other authors without giving them proper credit. There is no legal penalty for this, unless it also involves copyright infringement, but academic penalties for a first offense may include a failing grade for the assignment, a failing grade for the course, or dismissal from the program. A first-hand report by a writer, scientist, artist, musician or observer. Examples include a diary, an eyewitness account, an autobiography, a scientific study, a lab report, a painting, an original musical score, or a court transcript. Standardized components of a database composed of various fields describing the item (book, article, DVD) An evaluation, interpretation or critique of the content and quality of books, movies, software, etc. It often includes the author s/reviewer s opinion. A methodology for focusing your research on a particular topic. A document which interprets or analyzes a primary source. It is something written or reported about someone else s work. Examples: A book about Poe s short stories and writing in general. The field in a database record in which the terms or subject headings describing the content of the item are located.
Subject headings Synonym Thesaurus Truncation URL (Uniform Resource Locator) World Wide Web (WWW or W# or The Web ) Words or phrases assigned to books and articles to index these items by topic. Determining the correct headings (also called descriptors) for a specific database or catalog is important for effective research. A word or phrase that has the same or similar meaning to another word. Example: shut, close. A list of subject headings, or descriptors used in a database, or catalog. (See controlled vocabulary) In a search, the ability to enter the first part of a keyword, insert a symbol (most common an *) to retrieve all possible endings of that word. For example: crim* retrieves crime, criminals, criminology. The distinct address of a website An area of the internet using multimedia and hypertext links to communicate information Adapted from a handout from Macdonald DeWitt Library, SUNY Ulster