• How would you describe your topic to someone who knows nothing about it?
• What keywords or terms would you use?
• Do these keywords or terms have any synonyms?
• As your research progresses, use more specific or additional keywords to find more specific resources. Use broader terms or less keywords to find additional resources that include information on your topic

• Try using the Search feature at the top of the Library's homepage to search all print and online resources available to students, faculty, staff, and administrators at SUNY Schenectady
• Look at the Databases by Subject on the Library's website and select one of the databases (collections of resources available online) that looks relevant to your topic
• If your instructor has suggested a database, try using it
• If you are unsure where to start, try using a general database such as Academic Search Complete or Academic OneFile

You might be interested in some of the tutorials available on our Tutorials LibGuide that will walk you through how to search various databases and for books.

• This is best done using the Advanced Search feature of the database
  • Put one keyword or concept on each line
• Use Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to expand your search
  • Boolean operators are words added to a search to make it broader (OR), more specific (AND), or to exclude a word or term from the search (NOT)
    • AND finds results with all of the search terms used
      • Best used between different keywords or concepts
      • guns AND violence AND children
    • OR finds results with at least one of the search terms used
      • Best used for synonyms
      • guns OR weapons OR rifles
    • NOT excludes results that include the term or terms after the word NOT
      • Guns NOT rifles
• Quotation marks
  • When using quotation marks to search in a database it's important to use them when the combination and order of words is important in searching for specific information
  • Indicate the phrases within the quotation marks need to be found next to each other in that order
    • "black dogs" will find only items with the words in that order, next to each other
    • black dogs will find all items that have both words somewhere in the item, whether the words are next to each other or in that order or not
• Date of publication (also known as Currency)
  • Limit your results by Date
    • How recent do your sources need to be?
  • Ask your instructor if your assignment does not provide this information
• What types of resources do you need to use?
  • Limit your results by Format or Type
  • Ask your instructor if your assignment does not provide this information
  • See the section in this LibGuide on Common Types of Resources for more information on common types of resources available

Step One

1. Read the title, the abstract, and the introduction. 

2. Read the section and subsection headings but ignore everything else. 

3. Read the conclusions. 

Step Two

1. Read the title, abstract, and introduction again. 

2. Read the entire paper, focusing on figures, diagrams, and illustrations.  Skip over complex mathematics. 

Step Three

1. Identify the paper’s contributions.

2. Re-read sections that are unclear.

• Usually contain more dated information than found in journals or newspapers due to the time it takes to publish a book
• Often covers topics in greater depth than articles due to being longer

• Use flashy adjectives
• Are not published by a professional organization
• Contain a lot of advertisements, and some have nothing to do with the subject of the publication
• Contain articles written by a writer or editor with no other expertise listed
• Contain articles written for anyone and not targeted to a specific profession or field
• The purpose of the article is to entertain or inform on a variety of topics not related to any one profession or field
• Does not provide a list of sources at the end of the article

• A collection of many journals, magazines, eBooks, videos, images, music, or other resources
• Accessible online
• Searchable by subject, author, title, date, creator, or other criteria

• Contain very up-to-date information as of the date of publication
• Cover the latest events and trends as of the date of publication
• Publish both factual and opinion-based articles
• Due to journalistic standards of objectivity, do not always take a 'big picture' approach or contain information about larger trends
• Mainly focus on the facts relevant to the specifics of the story
• Often contain simple fact-reporting pieces rather than in-depth investigations

• An umbrella term that includes resources that come out on a regular basis
• Examples include academic journals, newsletters, magazines, newspapers, and trade publications

• Provide first-hand information that is factual without analysis or interpretation by those who were not there
• May be from the time the incident occurred (contemporary) or created at a later date by someone with first-hand knowledge
• May be words, images, sounds, an object, or something else

• Provide second-hand information, removed from the event
• May include analysis or interpretation
• May be from the time the incident occurred (contemporary) or created at a later date
• Created by someone without first-hand knowledge of the event

• Contain the most up-to-date information and research in industry, business, and academia, as of the date of publication
• Do not contain giveaways or flashy adjectives
• Published by professional organizations
• Contain only a few advertisements, but they are about products relevant to the trade
• Authors work in the field the publication serves
• Written for people who work in the field the publication serves
• The purpose of the articles is to inform professionals about issues, techniques, or developments in the field
• May provide a list of sources at the end of the article

According to the SUNY Schenectady County Community College Academic Code Policy 6.2.1 (2022, August 22)

Academic integrity is the foundation of institutions of higher learning, and students will act in accordance with the academic integrity guidelines of the College. The following guidelines apply to all courses offered by the College.

1. Each student's work will be her/his own work.
2. Each student will appropriately identify the work of others when it is incorporated into the writing of her/his papers, examinations, or oral presentations. This includes both direct quotations and paraphrased opinions and ideas....
3. Each student will submit her/his work to only one instructor, unless she/he has the prior approval of all instructors involved. (pp. 14-15)

According to the SUNY Schenectady Community College Academic Code Policy 6.2.3 (2002, August 22)

The following are the College's guidelines for consequences for violating academic integrity, but the student must consult the course syllabus, since the instructor will determine the consequences for each course. Consequences may include, but are not limited to, one or a combination of the following penalties: 

1. Oral or written warning. Deduction of points, grade of "F" or "0" for the assignment, project, or exam.
2. Failure of the course. Disciplinary action by the Student Affairs Office. Results of disciplinary actions are outlined in the Student Code of Conduct. (pp. 15-16)

• In brief, plagiarism is using someone else's ideas without giving them credit
• Whether you are using the ideas directly (such as a quotation) or indirectly (as inspiration, as a paraphrase, etc.), you need to acknowledge the original creator of those ideas through proper citation
• We always want to thank the person who contributed to our work that we have done, and not doing so in academic and other arenas is considered plagiarism

• Graphics, written material, audio such as songs or recorded voice, and any other representation of an idea or intellectual property are owned by the creator and deserve recognition when used by another
• Giving credit to the source of the ideas or other intellectual property enables others to recreate the trail you took when creating your work
• Giving credit acknowledges the contributions of others to your work
• Giving credit enables those using your product to find out more from the source(s) you used

• Always give credit through proper citation when using someone else's words or ideas
• Quote parts that are taken "word for word" (verbatim) and state where it comes from
• This also includes giving credit when you use ideas expressed in your own words or way

As Joanna M. Burkhardt, Mary C. MacDonald and Andree J. Rathemacher (2003) stated, "When in doubt about citing or not citing a source, always cite it. It is never wrong to cite your sources" (p. 43).

• Credit is given in two situations
  • When quoting or paraphrasing the creator, credit is given in an in-text citation via a parenthetical citation, footnote, or endnote
  • When an item has been used for ideas for your project, whether or not it has been directly quoted or paraphrased, credit is given in the Bibliography, References, or Works Cited list

Always be careful to properly cite where you got your information and ideas, using the style guide indicated by your instructor. The most popular style guides used at SUNY Schenectady are:

• APA
• Chicago
• MLA

• It is better than quoting information from an undistinguished passage
• It helps control the temptation to quote too much
• The mental process required for successful paraphrasing helps in grasping the full meaning of the original content

• Reread the original passage until you understand its full meaning. 

• Set the original aside and write your paraphrase. 

• Jot down a few words below your paraphrase to remind you later how you envision using this material. Add a note or comment at the start of the paraphrase to indicate the subject of your paraphrase. 

• Check your rendition with the original to make sure that your version accurately expresses all the essential information in a new form. Make any changes as necessary.

• Use quotation marks to identify any unique term or phraseology you have borrowed exactly from the source. 

• Record the source (including page number) next to the paraphrase so that you can credit it easily if you decided to incorporate the material into your project. 

• Quotation marks always come in pairs. Do not open a quotation and fail to close it at the end of the quoted material
• Capitalize the first letter of a direct quote when the quoted material is a complete sentence
• Do not use a capital letter when the quoted material is a fragment or only a piece of the original material's complete sentence
• If a direct quotation is interrupted mid-sentence, do not capitalize the second part of the quotation
• The period always comes before the final quotation mark unless you are using a block quotation
• When quoting text with a spelling or grammar error, transcribe the error exactly in your own text. However, also insert [sic] directly after the mistake. This tells the reader that this quote is an exact reproduction of the original and is not an error

There are some general pieces of information you need to gather, to the best of your ability, regardless of the type of resource or style guide you are following. Gather as much of this as you can:

• Creator (generally this is the author, but it could be the artist, the director, etc.)
• Title of the resource (i.e., book chapter, article, poem, etc.)
• Title of the container (i.e., book, journal, etc.)
• Other contributors and their roles (i.e., editor, translator, additional creator, etc.)
• Version (i.e., edition)
• Number (i.e., journal volume and/or issue, volume of a set of books, etc.)
• Publisher or distributor
• Publication date
• City of publication
• Location of source (if the item has a DOI, use this, if not, look for a permalink in the database or website. Look for a 'share' or 'cite this' button to see if the source includes a permalink; otherwise use the information you have such as the database or URL without http://, or the physical location where you saw the item such as a piece of art at a museum)
  • A DOI is a digital object identifier. It is a unique code that is assigned to resources such as articles and books. It begins with doi and usually can be found at the top or bottom of an article, or as part of a citation from a citation generator
  • A permalink, permanent link, or persistent url is a persistent link to an article or other piece of information found in a database that does not change. Clicking on this link will usually take the user to the article, as long as the person has access to that database
• Date of access (if an online resource)

• Try using the Search feature at the top of the Library's homepage to search all print and online resources available to students, faculty, staff, and administrators at SUNY Schenectady
• Look at the Databases by Subject on the Library's website and select one of the databases (collections of resources available online) that looks relevant to your topic
• If your instructor has suggested a database, try using it
• If you are unsure where to start, try using a general database such as Academic Search Complete or Academic OneFile

A Reference list, Bibliography or Works Cited list is a separate page or set of pages at the end of your project, starting on a new page, where you list all essential information about your sources that a reader would need to find them

Quoting is such a hard thing to do. It has been said,

Quoting is a hard skill to master. In general, formatting of quotations depends on the length of the quotation. When you are quoting four lines or more, you would use a block indentation, or block quote without quotation marks. When you are quoting three lines or less, you would enclose the quote in quotation marks. In both cases, you would end with an in-text citation. However, this can vary by the style guide you are following, and/or your instructor's specific directions. (Last Name, p. #)

When quoting more than 3 lines, use a block indent, placing each line on its own line.

Line 1

Line 2

Line 3

Line 4. (Last name, line #-#)

Book 

Author(s). Title of Book: Subtitle of Book. City of Publication, Publisher, Publication Date, DOI or permalink or URL. Accessed Date of Access.

Jones, Jack Peter. All About Books: An Intensive Study. Macmillan, 2011. 

Book (Other than First Edition)

Author(s). Title of Work: Subtitle of Work. (# edition). Publisher, Publication Date, DOI or permalink or URL. Accessed Date of Access.

Smith, Juan Ezra.. Multiple Editions of Editions: Numbers Beyond Belief. 8th ed., Macmillan, 2012.

Edited Book (With Author)

Author(s). Title of Book: Subtitle of Book, edited by Editor(s). Publisher, Publication Date. DOI or permalink or URL. Accessed Date of Access. 

Thompson, Ursula. An Adventure in Editing: Editing an Author's Work, edited by Mary Miller. Palgrave, 2001.

Edited Book (No Author)

Editor(s) formatted same as Author(s), editor(s). Title of Work: Subtitle of Work. Publisher, Date of Publication. DOI or permalink or URL. Accessed Date of Access.

Greenberg, Oscar Bob, editor. An Edited Book of Chapters: Thirty-five Amazing Pieces. Petersons Publishing, 2022.

Article or Chapter in an Edited Book

Author(s)."Title of Chapter: Subtitle of Chapter." Title of Work: Subtitle of Work, edited by Editor(s), Publisher, Publication Date, pp. #-#. DOI or permalink or URL. Accessed Date of Access.

Johnstone, Zena. "A Chapter of Chapters: Chapters Galore." Chapters, Chapters and More Chapters, edited by Charles Charleston. Heinemann, 2000, pp. 3-45.

Journal Article

Author(s). "Article Title: Article Subtitle." Publication Title, vol. #, no. #, Publication Date, pp. #-#. URL or DOI. Accessed Date of Access.

Smith, Anna Mae and John Jackson. "Articles on Articles: An Analysis." Journal of Article Analysis, vol. 87, no. 2, 2022, pp. 9-13. 

News Article

Author(s). "Article Title: Article Subtitle." Publication Title, Day Month Year, p. #. URL or DOI. Date of Access.

Chack, Frank Oscar. "Articles of News: Newsworthy Articles." News of the Article World, 3 January 2022, p. A32. articleworld.com. Accessed 4 June 2023.

Website

Author(s). "Title of Webpage." Title of Website: Subtitle of Website. Name of Institution or Organization Affiliated with the Site, Date of resource creation, URL or DOI or permalink. Date of access. 

Pope, Alex Marvin. "Reflections on Reflecting." Reflections on Websites: Websites on Websites. Website Reflections, 7 May 2015. Accessed 9 April 2021. 

Unpublished (Personal) Interviews

Interviewee. Personal interview. Day Month Year.

Abrams, Adam. Personal interview. 31 October 1993.

Published Interview

If there is no title, put Interview by Interviewer without quotation marks instead of the title.

Interviewee. "Title of Interview." Citation of larger container (book, journal, etc.).

Abrams, Adam. Interview by Bob Branson. Citation of larger creation.

Abrams, Adam. "An Interview with Adam Abrams." Citation of larger creation.

Recorded Television Series

"Episode Name." Series Name, written by Writer and Writer, directed by Director, created by Name and Name, performance by Name and Name, seas #, episode #, Publisher or Distributor, Day Month Year of Distribution. Streaming Service and/or URL.

"The First Episode." Series of Episodes, written by Fred Rogers and Fanny Mae, directed by Bert Alberts, created by Michael Mills and Frank Fortworth, seas. 1, episode 1, Series Productions, 2002. Streaming Service, URL.

Broadcast Television Series

"Episode Name." Series Name, written by Writer and Writer, directed by Director, created by Name and Name, performance by Name and Name, season #, episode #, Distributor, Network Name, Call Letters of the Station, City, Day Month Year Broadcast. Streaming Service, URL.

"The First Episode." Series of Episodes, written by Fred Rogers and Fanny Mae, directed by Bert Alberts, created by Michael Mills and Frank Fortworth, seas. 1, episode 1, Series Productions, PBT, Anytown, MA, 3 October 2002. Streaming Service, URL.

Published Conference Presentations / Lecture Notes / Presentation Slides

Cite these like a book if there is a book equivalent. If the date and location of the conference are not part of the published title, add this information.

Speaker's Name(s). "Title of Speech." Conference Title that Includes Conference Date and Location, edited by Conference Editor(s). Publisher, Date of Publication. URL.

Hughes, Elsie. "Dressing the Ladies." Housekeepers Hints Annual, 22 March 1922, York, England, edited by William Gold. Housekeepers United, 1923. http://www.housekeepersunited.co.uk/conferences/1922/hughes/dressing

Unpublished Conference Presentations / Lecture Notes / Presentation Slides

Speaker's Name(s). "Title of Speech." Conference or Meeting, Day Month Year. Venue or School or Course, City, State. Type of Presentation (Address, Lecture, Reading, Keynote Speech, Guest Lecture, Conference Presentation, etc.). URL.

Carson, Charlie. "The Setting of a Table." Annual Butlers Symposium, 11 February 1921. The Abbey, York, England. (Keynote Speech). http://www.butlersunited.co.uk/1921/carson/setting.html

Online Forum / Discussion / Social Media Post

Treat web postings as a standard web entry, the only difference being Screen Name [Real Name if Available] as the author.

Twitter / Tweet

User's Twitter handle. [Real Name if Available]. "Full text of tweet as capitalized in the tweet." Twitter, Day Month Year, Your Time Zone, URL.

YouTube / Streaming Media

Treat television shows and movies as film or television series.

Creator(s). "Title of Video." YouTube, uploaded by Name (if different from creator), Day Month Year, URL.

Podcasts

Episode

"Title of Episode." Podcast Series Title from Publisher / Distributor, Day Month Year, URL.

"Podcasting for Peers." Podcasting for Populations from Podcast Is for All. 3 March 2023, www.podcasting.com/series/peers

Series

Podcast Series Title from Publisher / Distributor, Day Month Year, URL.

Podcasting for Populations from Podcast Is for All, 3 January 2021 - 5 March 2023, www.podcasting.com/series

Secondary Sources

Provide the secondary source in the references list; in the text, name the original work and give a citation to the secondary source.

Original Author(s) noted .... (as cited in Author of Item in Hand, Year of item in hand).

Artwork

For web-only artwork, treat the item as a website, using the username of the author if available.

Artist. Title of Artwork. Day Month Year Created. Institution or Other Source Where Located, City of Physical Location. Website or Institution Name, URL. Accessed Day Month Year.

Mills, Mary. My Lambs. 3 August 1843. Mother Goose Museum, Fairyland, Germany. Mother Goose Museum Online, http://mgm.co.gr. Accessed 22 July 2023.

Book 

Author(s). Title of Book: Subtitle of Book. City of Publication, Publisher, Publication Date, DOI or permalink or URL. Accessed Date of Access.

Jones, Jack Peter. All About Books: An Intensive Study. Macmillan, 2011. 

Book (Other than First Edition)

Author(s). Title of Work: Subtitle of Work. (# edition). Publisher, Publication Date, DOI or permalink or URL. Accessed Date of Access.

Smith, Juan Ezra.. Multiple Editions of Editions: Numbers Beyond Belief. 8th ed., Macmillan, 2012.

Edited Book (With Author)

Author(s). Title of Book: Subtitle of Book, edited by Editor(s). Publisher, Publication Date. DOI or permalink or URL. Accessed Date of Access. 

Thompson, Ursula. An Adventure in Editing: Editing an Author's Work, edited by Mary Miller. Palgrave, 2001.

Edited Book (No Author)

Editor(s) formatted same as Author(s), editor(s). Title of Work: Subtitle of Work. Publisher, Date of Publication. DOI or permalink or URL. Accessed Date of Access.

Greenberg, Oscar Bob, editor. An Edited Book of Chapters: Thirty-five Amazing Pieces. Petersons Publishing, 2022.

Article or Chapter in an Edited Book

Author(s)."Title of Chapter: Subtitle of Chapter." Title of Work: Subtitle of Work, edited by Editor(s), Publisher, Publication Date, pp. #-#. DOI or permalink or URL. Accessed Date of Access.

Johnstone, Zena. "A Chapter of Chapters: Chapters Galore." Chapters, Chapters and More Chapters, edited by Charles Charleston. Heinemann, 2000, pp. 3-45.

Journal Article

Author(s). "Article Title: Article Subtitle." Publication Title, vol. #, no. #, Publication Date, pp. #-#. URL or DOI. Accessed Date of Access.

Smith, Anna Mae and John Jackson. "Articles on Articles: An Analysis." Journal of Article Analysis, vol. 87, no. 2, 2022, pp. 9-13. 

News Article

Author(s). "Article Title: Article Subtitle." Publication Title, Day Month Year, p. #. URL or DOI. Date of Access.

Chack, Frank Oscar. "Articles of News: Newsworthy Articles." News of the Article World, 3 January 2022, p. A32. articleworld.com. Accessed 4 June 2023.

Website

Author(s). "Title of Webpage." Title of Website: Subtitle of Website. Name of Institution or Organization Affiliated with the Site, Date of resource creation, URL or DOI or permalink. Date of access. 

Pope, Alex Marvin. "Reflections on Reflecting." Reflections on Websites: Websites on Websites. Website Reflections, 7 May 2015. Accessed 9 April 2021. 

Unpublished (Personal) Interviews

Interviewee. Personal interview. Day Month Year.

Abrams, Adam. Personal interview. 31 October 1993.

Published Interview

If there is no title, put Interview by Interviewer without quotation marks instead of the title.

Interviewee. "Title of Interview." Citation of larger container (book, journal, etc.).

Abrams, Adam. Interview by Bob Branson. Citation of larger creation.

Abrams, Adam. "An Interview with Adam Abrams." Citation of larger creation.

Recorded Television Series

"Episode Name." Series Name, written by Writer and Writer, directed by Director, created by Name and Name, performance by Name and Name, seas #, episode #, Publisher or Distributor, Day Month Year of Distribution. Streaming Service and/or URL.

"The First Episode." Series of Episodes, written by Fred Rogers and Fanny Mae, directed by Bert Alberts, created by Michael Mills and Frank Fortworth, seas. 1, episode 1, Series Productions, 2002. Streaming Service, URL.

Broadcast Television Series

"Episode Name." Series Name, written by Writer and Writer, directed by Director, created by Name and Name, performance by Name and Name, season #, episode #, Distributor, Network Name, Call Letters of the Station, City, Day Month Year Broadcast. Streaming Service, URL.

"The First Episode." Series of Episodes, written by Fred Rogers and Fanny Mae, directed by Bert Alberts, created by Michael Mills and Frank Fortworth, seas. 1, episode 1, Series Productions, PBT, Anytown, MA, 3 October 2002. Streaming Service, URL.

Published Conference Presentations / Lecture Notes / Presentation Slides

Cite these like a book if there is a book equivalent. If the date and location of the conference are not part of the published title, add this information.

Speaker's Name(s). "Title of Speech." Conference Title that Includes Conference Date and Location, edited by Conference Editor(s). Publisher, Date of Publication. URL.

Hughes, Elsie. "Dressing the Ladies." Housekeepers Hints Annual, 22 March 1922, York, England, edited by William Gold. Housekeepers United, 1923. http://www.housekeepersunited.co.uk/conferences/1922/hughes/dressing

Unpublished Conference Presentations / Lecture Notes / Presentation Slides

Speaker's Name(s). "Title of Speech." Conference or Meeting, Day Month Year. Venue or School or Course, City, State. Type of Presentation (Address, Lecture, Reading, Keynote Speech, Guest Lecture, Conference Presentation, etc.). URL.

Carson, Charlie. "The Setting of a Table." Annual Butlers Symposium, 11 February 1921. The Abbey, York, England. (Keynote Speech). http://www.butlersunited.co.uk/1921/carson/setting.html

Online Forum / Discussion / Social Media Post

Treat web postings as a standard web entry, the only difference being Screen Name [Real Name if Available] as the author.

Twitter / Tweet

User's Twitter handle. [Real Name if Available]. "Full text of tweet as capitalized in the tweet." Twitter, Day Month Year, Your Time Zone, URL.

YouTube / Streaming Media

Treat television shows and movies as film or television series.

Creator(s). "Title of Video." YouTube, uploaded by Name (if different from creator), Day Month Year, URL.

Podcasts

Episode

"Title of Episode." Podcast Series Title from Publisher / Distributor, Day Month Year, URL.

"Podcasting for Peers." Podcasting for Populations from Podcast Is for All. 3 March 2023, www.podcasting.com/series/peers

Series

Podcast Series Title from Publisher / Distributor, Day Month Year, URL.

Podcasting for Populations from Podcast Is for All, 3 January 2021 - 5 March 2023, www.podcasting.com/series

Secondary Sources

Provide the secondary source in the references list; in the text, name the original work and give a citation to the secondary source.

Original Author(s) noted .... (as cited in Author of Item in Hand, Year of item in hand).

Artwork

For web-only artwork, treat the item as a website, using the username of the author if available.

Artist. Title of Artwork. Day Month Year Created. Institution or Other Source Where Located, City of Physical Location. Website or Institution Name, URL. Accessed Day Month Year.

Mills, Mary. My Lambs. 3 August 1843. Mother Goose Museum, Fairyland, Germany. Mother Goose Museum Online, http://mgm.co.gr. Accessed 22 July 2023.