OWH Library at Phillips Academy Andover

Oliver Wendell Holmes Library
Catalog	Resource Guides	Databases	What's New

HELPFUL EXPLANATIONS

Steps in the Research Process

Get Organized!
Gather information
Use the Information
Take time to Reflect

Bibliographic v. Full Text	Boolean Operators	Free web v. Fee web
Index v. Bibliography	Keywords v. Subject Headings	Primary v. Secondary Sources
Reference v. Circulating Collections		Search Engines v. Directories

Bibliographic Entries v. Full Text Entries
When you search databases, you’ll find information in two forms:

Bibliographic Entries or Citations: These entries give you the necessary information so that you can find the article you are seeking. (Example: Author. “Article Title”. Periodical Name, Volume, Page Numbers.) You will then need to find the full text in print or through another database. Consult Serials Solutions to determine where in OWHL you will find what you are looking for.
Full Text Entries: Here you will get both the bibliographic information and access to the full text of the information you are seeking.

Boolean Operators

When you are searching electronic databases, you may be able to use Boolean operators to help specifyyour search. This tutorial from the University of Albany will teach you more about how to use Boolean to be a better searcher:
Boolean Searching on the Internet

This printable guide from UC Berkeley provides an excellent overview of Boolean logic.
Boolean Searching for the Web from UC Berkeley

It is important to have an understanding of how the concept works. There are three operators: AND, OR, NOT.

AND: Returns results that include both of the search terms --“teens AND nutrition” gives you only those results containing both "teens" and "nutrition".
OR: Returns results that include either of the search terms -- “teens OR nutrition” gives you all those results containing either the term "teens" or the term "nutrition".
NOT: Returns results that include the first search term but not the second search term -- “teens NOT nutrition” gives you those results containing the term "teens" but not the term "nutrition".

This animated graphic provides a quick overview of Boolean operators.
Rockwell Schrock's Boolean Machine

Free web v. Fee web
The World Wide Web is enormous and ever expanding and changing. The multiple databases and websites available can be divided into two broad divisions.

Free web: These databases and websites are available to all. Quality can vary greatly – from superb to worthless. Always look at the sites critically as you examine them.
Fee web: These databases are available to subscribers for a fee. The databases OWHL subscribes to are published by well-respected publishers and are trustworthy sites for information. Take advantage of them!
Index v. Bibliography Indexes: Generally provide access to the contents of individual periodicals or newspapers. Consult an index when you are trying to find a specific article within a periodical. In some cases, you may be able to access an abstract in addition to the citation.
Examples of indexes at OWHL:
Print: NY Times Index, Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature, Short Story Index, Biology Digest
Electronic: American History and Life, Readers' Guide Retrospective
Bibliographies: Are generally a list of works in a similar topic area (i.e., works by an author, works on a specific subject). They are not restricted to a specific library. Bibliographies can save you time.
Examples of bibliographies at OWHL:
Reader's Guide to the Social Sciences
Women in U.S. History : a Resource Guide
The Short Story Readers' Advisory : a Guide to the Best
Keywords v. Subject Headings Keywords: Search terms that are drawn from natural language. They are a good place to begin.
Subject Headings: Search terms based on a controlled vocabulary from the Library of Congress Subject Headings. They are consistent across databases.
Primary v. Secondary Primary Sources: A primary source is a firsthand account or evidence written or created during the time period under study. Some examples include diaries, speeches, letters, interviews, autobiographies, and government documents. You may use the OWL catalog to help find primary source material within a book by doing a Boolean search. For example: search "civil war and primary source" or "slavery and personal narratives" or "slavery and diaries".
Secondary Sources: A secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources. Secondary sources are secondhand accounts of an event. Some examples include articles, encyclopedias, textbooks, biographies, and criticisms. They provide an overview of the subject and are a good place to start your research.
More information on Primary Sources.

Reference v. Circulating Collections
The print collection in a library can be divided into two broad categories – each with a unique purpose.

Reference Collection: This is a collection of non-fiction books specifically designed to be consulted or referred to rather than read cover to cover. Arranged by Dewey Decimal number in the Garver Room, these books are for use only in the library. They do not circulate. Examples of reference books include encyclopedias (general and specific), dictionaries (general and specific), almanacs, and atlases.
Circulating Collection: This collection of books contains both fiction and non-fiction and may be taken out of the library after checking them out at the Circulation Desk. They are housed in the stacks in the center of the OWHL.

Search Engines v. Directories

Search Engines: Search engines find web pages on a certain topic by using keywords. They look only at the top pages of a site. No search engine searches the entire web. Search engines are created by software programs.
Directories: Directories have organized access to relevant web pages under broad subject headings. Directories are indexed by humans. Examples include Yahoo and Librarian's Index to the Internet.