Researching a Paper FAQs

Q.  How do I find scholarly journal articles?
A.  Use the Library databases to find scholarly articles, which are preferred by instructors. Go to the Library homepage arapahoe.edu/student-resources/library, click Databases. Select a database such as ProQuest or EBSCOhost. Searches have an option to search for scholarly journals.

Q.  Can I access these articles from home?
A.  Yes, you can access articles from the Library databases from your home computer. You use our passwords to access these articles, which are obtainable from the Library (listed on our handouts). Call us from home at 303.797.5090 and we can give you the passwords over the phone.

Q.  How do I find books to check out?
A.  Go to the Library homepage arapahoe.edu/student-resources/library to access the Library’s online catalog. Click Aquabrowser or Catalog. Type in a title, author, or keywords, or subject. A book or list of books will appear, each with a call number (example: HV5825 .C437 2003). Write this string of letters and numbers down and take it to the shelf to find books. (A-HN are located on the second floor, HQ-Z are located downstairs. They are arranged in alphabetical and decimal order. A librarian will be glad to help you find these items.)

Q.  How do I find ebooks (electronic books such as NetLibrary)?
A.  Go to the Library homepage, click Online Books or go to NetLibrary.com. Ebooks will also show up in the search result listings of all the Library’s books in the online catalog. In order to access the ebooks in NetLibrary, you have to first register with NetLibrary and create your own username and password. To do this, you must first register on one of the computers in the Library computer lab, where you can access NetLibrary without a password. On the NetLibrary page, in the upper right-hand corner, click "Create a Free Account." Fill out the form, then use that username and password from any computer to access ebooks from NetLibrary.

Q.  How can I find topics to write about, or background information on a topic I have selected?
A.  Look through the Taking Sides books at the Reference Desk (older editions are available for checkout—look under Taking Sides in the Aquabrowser catalog on the Library homepage). Or go online on the Library homepage arapahoe.edu/student-resources/library, then click Databases. Use CQ Researcher or Facts on File to find information on topics. You can also use the Points of View database under EBSCOhost. Other good sources of background information include general encyclopedias (such as World Book, Encyclopedia Britannica, print and online), as well as specialized encyclopedias of countries and cultures, criminal justice, literature, medicine, philosophy, psychology, religion, science, technology).

Q.  The article I found in a database is only a summary (abstract). How do I get the full article?
A.  Not all articles in our online databases are available in their entirety (full text). You have several options to obtain the full article. The ACC Library may carry the print periodical (journal, magazine, newspaper). Type in the name of the periodical in the ACC Library catalog, or check our periodical listings binder in the Reference Area. Ask an ACC Library staff member to retrieve a back issue (previous issue) from our Periodicals Room. If our library does not carry the hard copy periodical, you may have to go to another library in the area to make copies from their collection. To find out which library in the area has the periodical you need, go to these library catalogs (linked on our Library databases page): Prospector prospector.coalliance.org or Colorado Virtual Library aclin.org. These catalogs also list books that our library may not own. Another option, if you have a couple weeks’ time, is to place an Interlibrary Loan request. Ask for an Interlibrary Loan request form from the Circulation Desk and provide the article citation that you found online. You can also order hard-to-find books through Interlibrary Loan.

Q.  What are primary sources and how do I find them?
A.  Primary sources are first-hand accounts and documents of lives, events, phenomena—letters, diaries, journals, memoirs, reports, studies, newspaper articles, audio-visual materials. Secondary sources, on the other hand, are works that analyze or interpret these events or phenomena. Primary materials can be found in the library collection as well as on the Web. Autobiographies are primary sources, but biographies are not, except for primary documents and quotes included within the biography. Books with primary materials can be searched in the ACC Library catalog, as well as on the Web in Google Books books.google.com and Project Gutenberg gutenberg.org. The Library’s EBSCOhost History Reference Center database also can be searched for primary sources. Various history sites on the Web contain primary sources, as well as Google Archives google.com/archivesearch.

Q.  My instructor doesn’t want me to use the Internet to get articles on my topic. Where do I find them?
A.  By “Internet,” the instructor probably means do not use Web sites such as those found through Google. Instead, use the Library subscription databases for scholarly journals and reliable information, databases such as ProQuest and EBSCOhost. These databases are found on the Library homepage arapahoe.edu/student-resources/library. Pick up passwords at the Library to use these databases off-campus.

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