Database and Citation Information
Database and Citation Information

1. When conducting a research project, it is a good idea to have a Word Document open and minimized for your citations, which will be copied and pasted into this “Cited Works” page.
2. Next, go to www.citationmachine.net, select MLA or APA (ask your teacher for preference), select the type of source from the print or nonprint options and complete the template (fill-in-the-blank) page. You will want to minimize this window, also until you are ready to cut-and-paste your bibliographic information from whatever source you use.
3. Select a source from one of the Gale Databases, which are found by doing the following:
• Go to the Allen ISD homepage (www.allenisd.org)
• Click on “try the site index” at the bottom of the page
• Select “Library Resources”
• Select “Lowery Freshman”
• Select “Other Gale Net Resources”
• Enter the password (lonestar) and click on “proceed”
4. You may select any of the listed databases and search for your topic within them. Note: citation information is often provided and located at the end of each article or entry (don’t copy data after the gale group url/web address) or use CitationMachine (ask your teacher)
5. Suggestions:
• “Expanded Academic ASAP” – comprehensive collection of articles from journals, magazines, newspapers, etc. Enter your topic (you may want to try a specific word at first and then a more general one if you don’t find what you need at first). Also, try synonyms or related topics – sometimes you’ll find your information from indirect sources.
• “Student Resource Center – Gold” – or “Discovering Collection” – have the same format/appearance, but you will be able to find different material. If you have time, you may want to try a couple of keywords and compare the results. If the information comes up the same, then your topic may be covered the same in both of these databases, so spend your time with just one of them.
• “Opposing Viewpoints” – excellent database for viewing articles that cover “both sides” of an issue. Type in a keyword in the “Search” field; again, you may want to try specific to more general terms.
• “Science Resource Center” – thousands of topic overviews, experiments, biographies, pictures and illustrations, etc. In addition, the latest scientific developments are covered in articles from over 200 magazines and academic journals and links to quality web sites.
• Other databases, such as for Health, History, Literature, etc. are also available. If you are researching for a particular class/subject, look through the list of databases to see if there is one focused specifically for your topic.
6. Once you have located an article, don’t forget to maximize “CitationMachine” and cut-and-paste the citation information from your database source.
7. Finally, once the citation is generated in “CitationMachine,” cut-and-paste it into your “Works Cited” word document page.

Now all you have to do is write your research paper! Don’t forget to cite your sources within the text. If you don’t know how to do this part, or you have any questions about citations and/or databases, please ask your teacher or at the library!




Up One Level | Home | By Author | By Date | Search



Login