Instructor: Vicki Collins
Librarian: David Bradshaw , ext. 3059

Possible Reference Books For Introductory Essays On Your Topic:

Britannica Online
McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology (R 503 M147 2002)
The New Way Things Work (R 600 M117w 1998)
Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia (R 503 C755v 2002)
The World of Science (R 503 W927 1991)

To Search For Books On Your Topic:

Search the MCLN Catalog

Other Library Catalogs--to see what's available at UNC-A and other local libraries

WorldCat--Searches the collections of libraries all over the world and indexes books, audiovisuals, & archival and manuscript materials.

NetLibrary--Around 40,000 electronic books.

Electronic Resources:

You could try these interdisciplinary, full-text periodical databases which cover almost any subject areas. There are over 7,000 full-text journal titles in these four databases:
Academic Search Full Text Elite
Info Trac Onefile
MasterFILE Premier
Proquest Research Library
General Science Index

New York Times (from 1999 to present)
New York Times Historical (from the first issue in 1851 to 1999)

To Get Materials From Other Libraries:

*Use Interlibrary Loan (ILL) to borrow materials from other libraries.  Request forms are available at the Reference Desk.

*Use Cooperative Borrower cards to borrow books yourself from other MCLN libraries and UNC-A.  Ask for these cards at the Reference Desk.  You can get library cards for the Asheville Buncombe Library System (public libraries) at any of their libraries.

About.com's Chemistry Section

How Stuff Works.Com

Ask The Expert from Scientific American

How Things Work from the U. of Virginia
 

Use Search the Net to find your own sites using selected search engines (like Google!).

Evaluating Internet Resources:
Take a look at the following guides for some useful pointers in evaluating web sites:

Evaluating Web Resources (from Widener University)
ICYouSee: T is for Thinking

Need a library refresher course??

Use Painless Library Research for basic tips on using library resources and other info such as documenting sources (including great links to the Nuts and Bolts Guide and another great web site from the Duke University Libraries--both of these sites cover all of the major styles in easy-to-use formats).

The style manual for the APA is also in our reference collection:

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association   R 808.06615 P976 2001

Avoiding Plagiarism:

Carefully documenting your sources will help you avoid plagiarism.  You can learn about other strategies at the following sites:

Avoiding Plagiarism, from Duke University Libraries

Recognizing & Avoiding Plagiarism, from the U. of Indiana