LSCI 100: INTRODUCTION TO
INFORMATION RESEARCH
GLOSSARY OF LIBRARY AND INTERNET RESEARCH TERMINOLOGY
Abstract: a brief summary, usually two to five
sentences, that gives the essential points of a book, article or other information
source. Abstracts normally just provide an objective description of the source. Many databases include abstracts of periodical articles. An abstract differs from an annotation in that an
annotation typically includes an evaluation of the source while an abstract
rarely includes an evaluation.
Academic journal: see journal
Annotation: a brief description of an
information resource placed after a citation in an annotated bibliography. An annotation includes a summary of key points
presented in the source and an evaluation of the source.
An annotation differs from an abstract in that
an abstract does not usually include an evaluation.
Anthology: a collection of individual works,
usually by more than one author.
EXAMPLE:
An Anthology of Japanese Short Stories.
Appendix: supplementary
information (e.g. statistical tables, questionnaires, etc.) sometimes appearing
at the end of a book or document
Autobiography: a history or account of a person’s life
written by that person
Bibliography: the list of works cited by an author at the
end of an article, book, or other research-based writing. A bibliography of sources on a single subject
or topic that is published separately as a book is known as a subject bibliography.
Bibliographic citation: see citation
Bibliographic record:
usually refers to information given in a library online
catalog that provides a detailed
description of a book, video, or other source.
A bibliographic record consists of one or more
fields, such as author, title, publisher, etc. Sometimes simply called a record.
Bibliographic reference: see citation
Biography: a summary of a person’s life, accomplishments,
and significance NOT written by the person being described. Compare with autobiography.
Boolean operators: connecting words, such as AND, OR, and
NOT, that link search terms together in certain logical ways. (Thus, they are sometimes called logical
operators.) Used when doing
advanced searching on databases, online catalogs, and search engines.
Bound periodical: a set of periodical issues (i.e. magazines, journals or
newspapers) collected and held together between two hard covers. Each volume of a bound periodical usually
contains periodical issues for a one-year period of time.
Call number: a unique combination of letters and numbers
assigned to a book to designate shelving location. It is an “address” which allows you to find a
book in a library collection.
EXAMPLE: E807.R634 1975
Card Catalog:
a cabinet with file drawers containing cards that list the books and
other materials in a library collection. Most libraries have replaced card
catalogs with online
catalogs.
Check-out: to borrow an item from a library for a
specified period of time. Must be done
using a library card.
Circulating collection: those
books that may be borrowed (“checked out”) from the library
Circulation desk: the
counter (desk) where you can get a library card and borrow books and other
materials from the library
Citation ‑
information given in a database, online catalog,
or bibliography that provides a detailed
description of a book, periodical article, video, website, or other
source. Citations for books usually
include the author(s), book title, place of publication, publisher, and
publication date. Citations for periodical articles usually include the
author(s), article title, periodical title, volume number, date, and page
numbers. Refer to a style manual
to learn how to correctly format citations for a bibliography.
(Synonyms for “citation” include bibliographic
citation, bibliographic reference, and reference.)
EXAMPLES:
BOOK: Sidel, Ruth. On Her Own: Growing Up in the Shadow of the American
Dream.
ARTICLE: Karen, Robert. “Becoming Attached.” Atlantic Monthly Feb. 1990: 35-50.
WEBSITE:
2003.
<http://www.ed.gov/index.html>.
Copyright law: law which grants creators of 'original works of authorship' (including
literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works)
the exclusive right to reproduce and sell their works.
Cross-reference: information that directs you from one heading
to another in an OPAC
or periodical
database. There are 2 types of
cross-references:
* “see” reference: tells you that the word you are using to look
up your subject is
not the correct word to
use for that catalog or database. Instead, another word is given
under which you should
look up the subject.
For example: DEATH PENALTY see
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
* “see also” reference: tells you that the word you are using is the
correct subject
heading, but it suggests
other terms or names where additional or related information
may be found
For example: COMPUTERS
see also ELECTRONIC DATA
PROCESSING.
INFORMATION STORAGE
AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEMS.
Database: an organized collection of information stored
on a computer.
EXAMPLE: ProQuest Biology Journals
is a database that provides citations to periodical articles, some of which are
accompanied by the full-text of the article.
Download: to transmit information from a central
computer to a remote computer or from a personal computer hard drive to a
storage device (i.e. a disc or flash key.)
Edition: a version of a book. A revised or new edition indicates that the
text has been changed or new material added.
Editor: one who prepares for publication
or supervises the publication of a work or collection of works or articles that
are not his/her own. An editor’s responsibilities may include revising text,
providing commentary and introductory matter, etc.
e.g.
an abbreviation from the Latin ‘exempli gratia,’ meaning “for
example”
Ejournal: a journal
in electronic/digital format, usually available over the Internet. Many have a
paper counterpart. Most scholarly scientific, technical and medical journals
are now published in electronic format. However, you often must be a paid subscriber to access the
full-text of all issues.
Endnote:
a citation placed
at the end of an article, chapter or book, not at the bottom of the page (like
a footnote)
Ezine: Stands for electronic magazine and is a name for a website which
is either (a) modeled after a print magazine, or (b) a magazine that is only
available online or through email.
Fair use: provision of the copyright law which sometimes allows copying portions
of copyrighted materials
False hit: an irrelevant citation or document retrieved in a search
Field: portion of a bibliographic record which contains a specific
category of information such as author, title, etc.
Footnote: a citation which gives credit to
the original author for a quotation or statement made in a paper. The term usually refers to numbered citations
at the bottom of a page but may also mean endnotes, which are citations found at the end of the text. “Footnote” can also mean a numbered note
inserted at the bottom of a page that further explains a detail within the
text.
Full-text: every word of an article or book. Usually used when referring to databases,
which often offer the full-text of all or some articles or books within that
database.
Holdings: the specific materials
that a library owns
i.e.:
an abbreviation from the Latin ‘id est’ meaning “that is”
Index: 1) an alphabetical list of topics given at
the end of a book that offers page locations for those topics;
2) an organized list of articles in periodicals, as
in periodical index
Interlibrary loan: the process by
which one library borrows materials from another library for use by individual
patrons
Journal – a periodical
that is scholarly or academic in content and purpose. Also called academic journal, scholarly journal, or research journal. A key
distinguishing feature of a journal is peer review. Journal articles almost always cite other scholarly or technical literature
in footnotes. Magazines rarely
do so.
EXAMPLES: Journal of Applied Psychology. Compare with magazine.
Keyword: A searchable word.
It does not mean an "especially important word.”
Keyword searching: a method
of searching a database in which you use of your own “natural language” (i.e. keywords), rather than standardized subject headings
Library catalog: see OPAC
Library of Congress Classification
System (LC): the system of letters and numbers used by most academic
libraries to assign a call number
to books and other library materials
Logical Operators: see Boolean operators
Magazine ‑
a general-interest periodical that
has a broad, wide audience. A magazine typically contains nontechnical articles written by journalists
for the general public.
EXAMPLE: Time or Glamour.
Compare with journal.
Online Catalog: a library computer catalog that contains
information about books and other materials in a library collection. Sometimes
referred to as an OPAC. Online
catalogs have replaced card catalogs
in most libraries.
OPAC : stands for “Online Public Access
Catalog”. See Online
Catalog
Oversized: a book too large to
fit on standard sized library shelves
Peer review: a process in which an article
submitted to a journal for publication is evaluated by referees (experts in the field) who insure that the article meets standards
of scholarly quality and recommends whether to publish the article. A journal that requires this formal review is
known as a peer-reviewed journal or refereed journal.
Periodical: a publication such as a magazine,
newspaper, or journal that appears in successive numbers
or parts (no. 1, no.2, etc.) at specified intervals (daily, weekly, monthly,
etc.).
Magazines, journals, and newspapers are all periodicals. A synonym for periodical is serial.
Periodical
article: an article that has been
published in a periodical
Periodical
database: One of the most important
types of Web databases, periodical databases provide a searchable list of articles that
appear in journals, magazines, and newspapers.
They offer articles from a specific group of periodicals for a specified
time period. A periodical database
provides citations for each article. A summary (abstract)
and the full-text of the article are often included. Periodical databases are also called periodical indexes.
Periodical index: see periodical database
Phrase searching: a feature of online searching in which you place a phrase
(multiple words) in quotation marks to retrieve documents that contain that
exact phrase
Primary source:
information in its original, first-hand presentation. EXAMPLES:
diaries, speeches, interviews, letters, memoirs, autobiographies,
eye-witness accounts, etc. Compare with secondary source.
Record: see bibliographic record
Reference: 1) synonym for citation,
bibliographic citation, or bibliographic reference
2) a direction from
one heading or word to another (see cross-reference)
Reference book: a book designed to be consulted to learn specific
pieces of information rather than read in its entirety. Reference
books contain facts, statistics, biographical information, and overviews
of a subject area. These books may not
be taken out of the library and are shelved separately from the rest of the
collection.
Reference collection: the section in a library where reference
books are kept. Reference books must be
used in the library and cannot be checked-out.
Reference desk: a desk in the Reference Area of a library
where librarians are available to answer your questions about using the library
and finding materials
Reference librarian: a faculty
member who has studied the field of library science at the graduate level. A
librarian is skilled in using print and electronic resources and is the person
to ask for research assistance in the library.
Refereed journal: a journal that requires a peer-review process;
also known as a peer-reviewed journal
Research: the process of gathering,
evaluating, and interpreting information, usually to answer a particular
question or problem. This includes using
all appropriate print and electronic sources, asking the reference librarian
for help, and making use of bibliographies given by other
authors.
Research journal: see journal
Reserve desk: a desk where special course materials from
your teacher are kept. At Skyline
Library, the Reserve Desk and the Circulation Desk are the same.
Scholarly journal: see journal
Secondary source: information that examines, interprets, or discusses
current or historical events or phenomenon. Secondary sources are removed in time from the original
facts or events and are therefore second-hand commentaries or interpretations. Compare with primary
source.
Serial: see periodical
Stacks: bookshelves in a library where the books
available for check-out are kept
Style manual: a book that explains how to format
a research paper. Style manuals contain
specific guidelines on how to create footnotes, parenthetical references,
bibliographies, pagination, etc. Ask
your instructor which style manual you are to use. The most commonly used style manuals are:
The MLA Handbook for
Writers of Research Papers (commonly
referred to as “MLA”)
Publication
Manual of the American Psychological Association (commonly referred to as “APA”)
Subject heading: a word, phrase, or groups of
words under which all materials on a particular topic are listed in an online catalog or periodical
database
Subject searching: searching a database or online catalog using an “official” word, phrase, or
group of words known as subject headings
Subtitle: a secondary and usually explanatory title
which follows the main title. In this
example:
Truncation: a
feature in online searching that lets you use a special symbol to search for
any words beginning with a particular root. The most common truncation symbol
is the asterisk (*).
Web database: an organized collection of
information created and maintained by businesses, government agencies,
professional and scholarly groups, and many other credible organizations. Often for paid subscribers only. Examples include: PsychInfo (for paid subscribers) and PubMed (free).
last revised: 12-20-07 by
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INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION RESEARCH.
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