Organizational Leadership and Supervision: Library Guide to Resources and Databases  

If you are a new user of the IPFW Library, you may want to look at one or more of the resources which librarians provide to help orient you to the building, services, and several basic library databases:

The selected business and social science databases listed below are often recommended to their students by OLS instructors when journal articles are required. Academic Search Premier is a database which covers many subject areas as well as a large number of popular magazines.  Use the limit to scholarly journals it provides, if requested by your instructor. 

"Foraging for Information" is a handy library worksheet which explains how to combine the keywords for your topic and lets you  keep track of which databases you have searched, the keywords you have discovered, your search results and your developing search strategy. 

University instructors often ask their students to use articles from scholarly journals rather than from popular magazines for their research assignments.  The link below presents a checklist which compares basic characteristics of three types of periodicals, scholarly, trade, and popular to help you identify these publications. 

When an article you need is not available in PDF or HTML format in the database you are using, choose  to see all of your delivery options.  You may be able to access the full-text content in another database or request the article from another  library through the link to Document Delivery.  See this short tutorial if you have have questions about  

Because the World Wide Web is a massive, tangled directory of knowledge producers, research, facts and entertaining tidbits of information, you must be critical about the material you find there.  Quality and validity are not assured when anyone can publish anything, anytime, without the benefit of scholarly peer review.  "Learn to Navigate the Internet..." contains a variety of criteria and checklists to help you think about internet sources and evaluate them.  "Is Your Web Site Credible?" is Helmke Library's CRAAP test for internet sources.

Are you quoting, summarizing or referring to the words or ideas of someone else?  Always give credit where credit is due!!!! The following websites explain and present examples of ethical documentation, but always ask your instructor when in doubt.

The most frequently recommended style guide in OLS courses is the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, often referred to as the APA style guide.  Two copies of the most recent edition of this guide are located at the Library's Service Desk for a limited checkout time, in-library use only.  Purdue University's OWL also offers assistance on using APA style:

. You are welcome to make an appointment with Your Subject Librarian if you need more in-depth assistance.

skekloff@ipfw.edu 2101 E. Coliseum Blvd. Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1499 260-481-6011 Fax: 260-481-6509 Sue Skekloff M.L.S., M.A. Reference & Information Services Librarian; Liaison to English & Linguistics, Human Services, Organizational Leadership & Supervision, Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology, Women's Studies; Training & Staff Orientation Coordinator Helmke Library, LB 162