Research Guides: How to Use Catalogs & Databases: How to Find Reference Sources

How to Find Reference Sources

Places where you can find reference sources: encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri, and more.

All-in-One Search: All Library Databases

All-in-One Search: All Library Databases is a broad tool for searching multiple library resources at once. Gather information from books and ebooks; articles from journals, magazines, and newspapers; theses/dissertations; reports; reference works; & more. This search system will mix the different types of sources into one list of search results.

Here's a link:

All-in-One Search
The All-in-One Search combines books, e-books, journals, magazines, newspapers, theses/dissertations, reports, reference works, & more from all the library's databases.

Searching from the Basic Search Page (Main Page)

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Access library services, such as Ask a Librarian, and Advanced Search from menu icon
Enter search terms in the search box and click the Search button

Searching from the Advanced Search Page

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Change "All Fields" drop-down to search by title, author, etc.
Enter search term(s) in box(es)
Change "AND" drop-down box to adjust AND, OR, NOT options to search for all words, any words, or exclude words
Click the "Add a row" link to add more search box rows, if needed
Publication date range: enter dates to limit results by date
Show content type: check box(es) to limit by content type, such as book, ebook, article, etc.
Language: click the drop-down to limit results by language
Show only: check box(es) to limit by full text, peer review, etc.
Exclude from results: check box(es) to exclude specific types of sources from the results, such as newspaper articles, book reviews, etc.
Expand your results: check the box to include results that the library doesn't have; this can be useful for knowing what else may be available and making interlibrary loan requests
Click the "Clear Form" link if you need to clear the options and start over
Click the "Back to basic search" link to return to the basic search page (main page)
Click the Search button to start the search

Reviewing the Search Results

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From the top:
- Use the search box to tweak search terms, if needed
- Click the link for the Advanced Search, if more detailed tweaks are needed
- Click on the folder icon for saved items (articles, ebooks, etc.)
- Click on the menu icon for additional services
- Look at the number of results to see if there are too few or too many
- Click on the "Relevance" link to change the sorting option to sort by date
- Check the box for "Add results beyond your library's collection" to show items that might be useful to request from interlibrary loan
From the left-side menu:
- Refine your source: click on options to refine results by source characteristics (full text, peer-review, etc.)
- Content type: click on options to limit the results by content type (newspaper article, book/ebook, journal article, etc.)
- Discipline: click on options to limit results by subject or discipline; click on the "More" link to show the full list of disciplines/subjects available
- Publication date: enter dates to limit results to items published within a specific date range
- Subject terms: click on options to limit results by subject terms, which are related to how the sources are indexed or categorized
- Language: if sources are in several languages, options will appear to limit the results
From the right-side options:
- Look for definitions from Encyclopædia Britannica
- A Related Topics section will suggest topics or phrases that the system thinks are related to your search terms; may be useful for adjusting the search when the results aren't quite right
For each source:
- Click on the "Preview" link to view a preview of the source (a panel will open below the source's title)
- Icons: there are several icons with additional options
  - Click on the quotation mark (citation icon) for the citation generator
  - Click on the email icon to email the source information to yourself or someone else
  - Click on the folder icon to save the source to your account
  - click on the ellipses icon to export the source information to a citation manager (Zotero, etc.)
- Availability: look for the availability or source location information
  - for print books, this will be a call number to locate the book in the library
  - for electronic sources (ebooks, articles, etc.), this will be a link to the database that has the source
- Source title link: click on the title of the source to go to the full text for that source
  - for print books, the link will go to the library catalog

Previewing a Source

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Click on the "Preview" link to view a preview of the source
If the source is an article, an abstract will appear. Otherwise, a brief excerpt from a book or longer source will appear
There will also be source information that will be using for citing your source or locating print sources - publication date, call number, etc.
Click on the "Permanent Link" link to view a permanent link to the source in Charger Search: All Library Database. This link will always work. (Copying the URL from the location bar in the browser won't always work because those URLs tend to time out.)
Click on the "Preview" link again to close the preview

Viewing the Full-Text of a Source

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From "Full Text Online"
- Click on the link for "Full Text Online"v to be taken to the item's summary page
- Sign in with your MyCN login information
- The summary page will be from the database where the item is hosted (such as Gale, EBSCO, etc.)
- Depending on the database, the full text may be on the summary page (Gale, JStor, etc.) or you may need to click a button on the side for the "PDF Full Text" or "HTML Full Text" (EBSCO and others)
By clicking the title:
- Click on the title of the material you would like to view to be taken to the item's summary page
- Sign in with your MyCN login information
- The summary page will be from the database where the item is hosted (such as Gale, EBSCO, etc.)
- Depending on the database, the full text may be on the summary page (Gale, JStor, etc.) or you may need to click a button on the side for the "PDF Full Text" or "HTML Full Text" (EBSCO and others)

EBSCO database logo Columbia State subscribes to several EBSCO databases that cover a wide range of disciplines, including art, humanities, business, nursing, sciences, and social sciences. Most of the article databases have the same search interface.

Select one of the EBSCO databases from the drop-down box below:

Searching from the Basic Search Page (Main Page)

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From the top:
- Click on the New Search link to start a new search
- Click on the Publications link to see EBSCO's publications list
- Click on the Subject Terms link to see EBSCO's subjects list
- Click on the Cited References link to search by references
- Click on the Images link to search only images
- Click on the Sign in link to sign into your account
- Click on the Folder link to see your saved folders
- Click on the Preferences link to edit your settings
- Click on the Languages drop down menu to change the language you're using
From the main page
- Click on the Choose Databases link to select one or more databases to search within
- Enter a search term in the search box
- Toggle the Search Options button to use some Advanced Search techniques such as
  - Search modes
  - Limitations such as Full Text, Peer Reviewed, Date, Publication Type, Length, and Images

Searching from the Advanced Search Page

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From the search box area:
- Click on the Field Codes link to choose which type of keyword you are searching (ex: All Text, Author, Title, Subject Terms, etc.)
- Enter search terms in box
From the Search Options area:
- Change your Search Modes and Expanders
  - Click on the "?" button for more explanations of Search Modes
- Limit results by
  - Full Text
  - Peer Reviewed
  - References Available
  - Published Date
  - Publication
  - Publication Type
  - Language
  - Document Type
  - Number of Pages
  - Cover Story
  - Image Quick View
  - Image Quick View Types
  - PDF Full Text
- Click on the Search button to start the search

Reviewing the Search Results

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From the main reading area:
- The Search Results area will state how many results were found
- Click on the Relevance drop-down box to change sorting options
- Click on the Page Options drop-down box to change the page layout
- Click on the Share drop-down box to save the results to a folder, create an alert, or get the permalink for the results page
- The linked title goes to an detailed summary page for the item
- The Page and Magnifying Glass button shows a short summary of the item
- The Folder Plus Sign button saves the item to your folders
- Click on the HTML Full Text link to see the HTML version of the item
- Click on the PDF Full Text link to see the PDF version of the item
From the right-side menu:
- Refine Results by:
  - Full Text
  - References Available
  - Peer Reviewed
  - Publication Date
  - Source Types
  - Subject
  - Publication
  - Publisher
  - Company
  - Language
  - Geography
  - NAICS/Industry
From the left-side menu:
- Browse Related Images if available

Viewing the Full Text of a Source

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From the main reading area:
- Click on the Result List link to return to the Results page
- Click on the Authors links to view other works by them
- Click on the Source link to view other items from that source
- Click on the Subject Terms links to see other items within that subject
- Read the Abstract to get a summary of the item
From the right-side menu:
- Click on the HTML Full Text link to see the HTML version of the item
- Click on the PDF Full Text link to see the PDF version of the item
- Click on the Detailed Record link to return to the record
- Click on the Find Similar Results to see items related to this one
From the left-side menu:
- Use the Tools to
  - Save to Google Drive
  - Add to a folder
  - Print
  - E-mail
  - Save
  - Cite
  - Export
  - Create a Note
  - Get the Permalink
  - Listen
  - Translate
From the HTML Full Text page:
- Use the Choose Language drop-down box to translate the document
- Click on the links in the Contents box to be taken to that section of the document
- Click on the Listen button to hear the document read aloud
From the PDF Full Text page:
- Click on the Full Text Contents to see the Table of Contents
- Click on links in the Full Text Contents section to be taken to that section of the document

Gale is a database publisher, providing access to databases of primary sources, literature, journals, periodicals, and eBooks.

Select one of the Gale databases from the drop-down box below:

Searching from the Basic Search Page (Main Page)

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From the top:
- Click on the English link to change the language
- Sign in to Google or Microsoft accounts to save articles to Google Drive or OneDrive
- Click on the Gale Virtual Reference Library logo to clear the search and start over
- Enter search words in the Search box
- Click on the Advanced option to go to the Advanced Search page
- Click on Browse Topics to look through recommended subjects
- Click on Title List to browse recommended titles
- Click on Search History to view previous searches
- Click on Highlights and Notes to view or create new highlights or notes
- Click on a topic under Browse by Discipline to explore that subject
- Click on the Topic Finder, Subject Guide Search, or Publication Search links to use those services

Searching from the Advanced Search Page

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From the search box area:
- Enter search term(s) in box(es)
- Change the drop-down box to search by title, author, etc.
- Change "AND" drop-down box to adjust AND, OR, NOT options to search for all words, any words, or exclude words
- Click on the "Add a Row" option to add more search rows
- Click on the Search Tips for help using advanced search features
- Click on the Search button to start the search
From the More Options area:
- Check the box to left of "Full Text Documents", "Peer-Reviewed Journals", or "Document Contains Images" to look for documents that have specific criteria
- Limit results by date or date range in the "by publication year(s)" section
- Limit publication results by document type
- Limit publication results by publication title (useful when searching for articles within specific books)
- Limit results to subject/discipline collections
- Limit results to specific lexile measure
- Click on the Search button to start the search
- Click on the Clear button to clear the form and start again

Searching from the Subject Guide Search Page

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From the search box area:
- Enter search term(s) in box(es)
- Check the box to left of "Full Text Documents" or "Peer-Reviewed Journals" to look for documents that have specific criteria
- Limit results by date or date range in the "by publication year(s)" section
- Limit publication results by publication title (useful when searching for articles within specific books)
- Click on the Search button to start the search
- Click on the Clear button to clear the form and start again
From the search results page
- View a list of subject terms related to your search
- Check the box to left of "Full Text Documents" or "Peer-Reviewed Journals" to look for documents that have specific criteria
- Check how many results fall under a specific subject

Searching from the Publication Search Page

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From the search box area:
- Enter search term(s) in box(es)[
- Click "List All Publications" for a list of all publications offered by the database
- Check the box to left of "Publications with Full Text" or "Peer-Reviewed Publications" to look for documents that have specific criteria
- Limit results by publication format
- Limit results by date or date range in the "by publication year(s)" section
- Limit results by country of publication
- Limit results by language of publication
- Click on the Search button to start the search
- Click on the Clear button to clear the form and start again
From the search results page
- View a list of publications related to your search
- Check the box to left of "Publications with Full Text" or "Peer-Reviewed Publications" to look for documents that have specific criteria
- Limit results by publication subject, publication format, target audience, country of publication, or language of publication

Searching from the Topic Finder Page

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From the search box area:
- Enter search term(s) in box(es)[
- Click on the Search button to start the search
From the search results page
- Choose a visualization style, Tiles or Wheel
- Click on a specific subject to get resource results related to those subjects

Reviewing the Search Results

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From the top area:
- Click on the Search Alert button to get notifications when new items are added to this search
From the main reading area:
- The "Showing Results for" area will state how many results were found per document type and allow you to limit which type of documents are showing
- Click on the "Relevance" drop-down box to change sorting options
- The linked title goes to an HTML version of the text
- The Topic Overview area provides information about and a brief summary of the item
From the right-side menu:
- Limit results by:
  - Publication date
  - Subjects
  - Document type
  - Publication title
  - Lexile Measure
- The "Search within results" box provides an option to continue searching, but only within the items found from the first search
- Click on the Topic Finder button to start a Topic Finder search for these results

Viewing the Full Text of a Source

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From the top area:
- Click on the "Results" arrow to return to the Results page
- Click on the "Cite" button to see the citation
- Click on the "Send to..." button to save the document to Google Drive or OneDrive
- Click on the "Download" button to download the document
- Click on the "Print" button to print the document
- Click on the "Get Link" button to get the permanent link for the page
- Click on the "Highlights and Notes" button to view any notations you've made
From the main reading area:
- Click on the Author's name(s) to view other works by them
- Click on the From link to view other documents from that publication
- Click on the DOI link to view the original source for the document
- Click on the "Translate" button to view available translations for the document
- Click the "Decrease Font Size" or "Increase Font Size" buttons to change the font size
- Click the "Display Options" button to change the page background color, font, and spacing
- Click on the "Listen" button to hear text narration
- Click on the "Send to Google Drive" or "Send to OneDrive" buttons to save the document to Google Drive or OneDrive
- Click on the "Email" button to email the document
- Click on the "Download" button to download the document
- Click on the "Print" button to print the document
- Read the HTML version of the text
From the right-side menu:
- Use the "Explore" menu to view similar documents for subjects

Using a Generated Citation

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Click on the "Cite" button at the top to see the suggested citation
The bottom of every source will also have a suggested citation
Remember to copy, paste, and edit. These generated citations often have incorrect formatting, such as an author's name in all capital letters or other errors

JSTOR provides access to more than 12 million academic journal articles, books, and primary sources in 75 disciplines. JSTOR logo

Here's a link:

JSTOR Essential Collection This link opens in a new window
Provides access to scholarly journals, primarily in the humanities and social sciences. Users may also access book chapters, e-books, and primary source documents.

Searching from the Basic Search Page (Main Page)

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From the top:
- Click on the Search drop-down menu to use Advanced Search or Image Search
- Click on the Browse drop-down menu to browse by subject, title, publisher, collection, or image
- Click on the Tools drop-down menu to use Workspace, Text Analyzer, the JSTOR Understanding Series, or Data for Research
- Click on the All Content or Images boxes to change search categories
- Click on the Advanced Search link to go to the Advanced Search page
- Enter search words in the Search box
- Scroll to browse through the advertised collections

Searching from the Advanced Search Page

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From the search box area:
- Click on the Search Help link to see detailed instructions on search strategies
- Click on the All Content or Images boxes to change search categories
From the All Content box:
- Enter search term(s) in box(es)
- Change the All Fields drop-down box to search by title, author, etc.
- Change the AND drop-down box to adjust AND, OR, NOT options to search for all words, any words, or exclude words
- Click on the Add a search box option to add more search rows
- Click on the Select and Access Type drop-down button to change between types of access
- Click on the Search button to start the search
- Under Narrow Results, check the boxes to limit by Item Type
- Limit results further by
  - Language
  - Publication Date
  - Journal or Book Title
  - ISBM
  - Journal Filter
From the Images box:
- Enter search term(s) in box(es)
- Change the All Fields drop-down box to search by title, creator, etc.
- Change the Boolean drop-down box to adjust AND, OR, NOT options to search for all words, any words, or exclude words
- Click on the Add row option to add more search rows
- Under Narrow your results, limit the search by
  - Date
  - Classification
  - Country
  - Collection

Reviewing the Search Results

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From the main area:
- The Results area will state how many results were found
- Click on the View all images button to see more images related to your search
- Click on the Sort by drop-down box to change sorting options
- The linked title goes directly to the item
- Click the Download, Save, and Cite buttons to download, save, or get the citation from the results page
- Click on the Author link to be taken to their list of works
From the right-side menu:
- The Search Within Results box provides an option to continue searching, but only within the items found from the first search
- Limit results by:
  - Academic Content types (journals, book chapters, etc.)
  - Primary Source Content types (books, images, etc.)
  - Date
  - Subject
  - Access Type

Viewing the Full Text of a Source

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From the right-side menu:
- Click on the Back to results arrow to return to the Results page
- In the Content metadata section, you can
  - See the item title, author(s), and source
  - Click on the Publisher to see more items from them
  - If viewing a journal article, see the next or previous article in the journal
  - Copy the Stable URL or the Remote Access URL
  - Click on the Cite button to see the citation
- In the Thumbnails section you can navigate the item by thumbnails of the pages
From the main reading area:
- Click the Share, Save, or Download buttons to share by email or social media, save the item to your account, or download the item
- Click on the View Larger arrow to collapse the Content metdata section
- Click on the Enter full screen arrows to make the item full screen
- Click on the Scroll buttons to go to the next page

Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is the online version of the authoritative dictionary, which documents the development of the English language over 1500 years.

Here's a link:

Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window
The quintessential dictionary with over 600,000 words, 3.5 million quotations, and 1,000 years of English history in words.

Searching from the Basic Search Page (Main Page)

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Search box area:
- Enter search word(s) in the search box
- Click the Go button to search
- Click the Advanced search link to go to the Advanced Search page
Browse the dictionary by category:
- Dictionary = alphabetical browsing
- Categories = browse by subject, usage, region, or word origin
- Timelines = browse by when word entered the English language
- Source = browse by the top authors and works quoted in the OED
- Historical Thesaurus = browse the thesaurus

Searching from the Advanced Search Page

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Search box area:
- Enter search word(s) in the search box
- Change the drop-down menu to search within a specific area, such as definition
- Change the "AND" drop-down box to adjust AND, OR, NOT options to search for all words, any words, or exclude words
- Click the "Add row" link to add a search box row
- Adjust the options for proximity searching - how close the words are to each other (if there's more than one word being searched)
Limiters
- Subject = limit to specific subject(s)
- Language of Origin = limit to the language of origin (before the word was adopted into the English language)
- Region = limit to the region of origin
- Usage = limit to word usage
- Date of entry = limit to date the word was entered in the OED
- Part of speech = limit to part of speech
- Restrict to entry letter or range = limit to entry letter or range (prefix or suffix); a more specific way to browse
Click the Reset button to clear the form
Click the Search button to search

Reviewing the Search Results

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From the main area:
- Widen the search using suggested links
- View the results as a List or Timeline
- Sort the results by entry, frequency, or date
- Click the term to view the full entry
- See the a summary of the term and frequency of use in the preview field
From the left-side menu:
- Refine your search by:
  - Subject
  - Language of Origin
  - Region
  - USage
  - Part of Speech
  - Date of First Citation
  - First Cited in
- Use the Search within results search bar to refine your search

Viewing a Term's Full Entry

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The term is listed at the top of the page, followed by the part of speech
Increase or decrease the font size using the options at the top right
Information about the term is immediately below the term:
- pronunciation
- different forms (spelling, tenses, etc.)
- usage frequency
- origin (when it began, from what language did it come, etc.)
- etymology (history of how the word was formed)
The definition of the term (along with some background) is below the information about the term
Quotations and sources that used the term are below the definition
The right-side "Jump to" section lists the order of the term in the alphabetical browsing list

How to Use Catalogs & Databases

Get in Touch

Have a question or need assistance? We would love to help!

Searching from the Basic Search Page (Main Page)

Searching from the Advanced Search Page

Reviewing the Search Results

Previewing a Source

Viewing the Full-Text of a Source

Searching from the Basic Search Page (Main Page)

Searching from the Advanced Search Page

Reviewing the Search Results

Viewing the Full Text of a Source

Searching from the Basic Search Page (Main Page)

Searching from the Advanced Search Page

Searching from the Subject Guide Search Page

Searching from the Publication Search Page

Searching from the Topic Finder Page

Reviewing the Search Results

Viewing the Full Text of a Source

Using a Generated Citation

Searching from the Basic Search Page (Main Page)

Searching from the Advanced Search Page

Reviewing the Search Results

Viewing the Full Text of a Source

Searching from the Basic Search Page (Main Page)

Searching from the Advanced Search Page

Reviewing the Search Results

Viewing a Term's Full Entry