Course Descriptions
Drop-in Library Orientation
We encourage you to explore the Portland State Library and its resources, services, personalized research help, and more! The librarians, staff, information resources, study space, and technology in the Millar Library are available to help meet your academic needs.
Outcome: receive an introduction to the Millar Library's resources.
EndNote Web and Zotero
Learn about software that will manage your citations and format references in your papers. This session covers the two programs supported by the Library: EndNote Web and Zotero. It will also briefly cover EndNote. This is a workshop for people new to these programs.
Outcome: Participants will learn what this kind of software will do and will learn enough to pick the program that will work best for them.
Evidence Based Practice Research
This class is an introduction to Evidence Based Practice Research using social science databases and websites.
Finding Government Documents
Important gateways (www.usa.gov, for example) to government information will be reviewed. Examples of government documents discussed include: census data; statistical data; laws & regulations; Congressional reports & hearings; and United Nations documents. Individual follow-up appointments can also be scheduled.
Outcome: Learn some basic techniques of locating government information.
Library Research Essentials
Participate in a one hour overview of the library's research tools. This class will introduce you to our catalog and databases and prepare you to use the library.
Outcome: familiarity with the library's website and an understanding of the research tools available from the library.
Medline
Medline searching can be frustrating if you don't understand the
Ovid software (or any of the other available interfaces!) - the
basic skills and strategies presented in this workshop will unlock a
vast wealth of research you may have been missing all along! Topics
include:
* Keyword & Descriptor Searching
* Truncation
* Limiting results
* Cited Reference Searching
* How to Get Articles, etc
* General Research Tips
*Recommended additional workshops: Web of Science
Outcome: participants will get hands on experience to learn how to
and when to apply the above skills and strategies
Migrating your citations from Refworks to EndNote Web or Zotero
Due to budget constraints, the PSU Library will not renew its subscription to Refworks. For users who want to maintain databases of bibliographic citations and integrate use of those databases with word processing software, the Library will be supporting EndNote Web (ENW) and Zotero. The Library's subscription to Refworks ends June 30, 2009 so it will be necessary to migrate your Refworks data to ENW or Zotero before June 30, 2009.
Philosophy
This course will introduce you to the major philosophy resources available at PSU and how to use them effectively.
Primary Source Collections Online
Discover tools you can use to find additional primary source collections on the Web.
PsycINFO Advanced
Harness the FULL power of PsycINFO to your advantage! Learn the
complete range of search capabilities to truly get the most out of
PsycINFO, including:
* Field searching (example: uncovering grant sources)
* Classification code searching
* Tests & Measures searching
* Additional useful limit features
* Automatic alerts/RSS feeds of latest research
*Especially recommended for graduate students or those planning to
attend graduate school.
*Recommended additional workshop: Web of Science
Outcome: participants will get hands on experience to learn how to
and when to apply the above skills and strategies.
PsycINFO Basics
PsycINFO searching can be frustrating if you don't understand the
Ovid software - the basic skills and strategies presented in this
workshop will unlock a vast wealth of research you may have been
missing all along! Topics covered include:
* Keyword & descriptor searching
* Truncation
* Peer Reviewed Journals & Empirical Studies limits
* Cited Reference Searching
* How to Get Articles, etc...
Recommended additional workshops: PsycINFO Advanced, Web of Science
Outcome: participants will get hands on experience to learn how to
and when to apply the above skills and strategies.
Research Clinic
Students who have a specific research need or question can attend these one hour sessions. Individuals and groups are welcome.
Outcome: research need or question will be answered
Upcoming Workshops:
01/20/2010 (Millar Library - Room 220J) @ 4:30pm-5:45pm
Social Services Abstracts
Tap into THE premier database for social workers! Learn skills and strategies that will immediately improve your search results, including:
* Keyword & descriptor searching
* Truncation
* Peer Reviewed Journals limit
* Cited Reference Searching
* How to Get Articles, etc...
Outcome: participants will get hands on experience to learn how to and when to apply the above skills and strategies.
Recommended additional workshops: PsycINFO (Basic & Advanced) and Web of Science
Sociological Abstracts
Sociological Abstracts is the premier database for scholarly sociological research - it includes articles (from more than 1800 journals), books, book chapters, conference papers, etc.
Topics covered include:
* Keyword & descriptor searching
* Truncation
* Peer Reviewed Journal limit
* Cited Reference Searching
* How to Get Articles, etc
*Recommended additional workshop: Web of Science
Outcome: participants will get hands on experience to learn how to and when to apply the above skills and strategies.
Web of Science
Learn citation searching across thousands of the most prestigious, high impact research journals in the arts & humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Topics covered in the workshop include:
* What is Cited Reference Searching?
* Basic/Advanced Search Features
* Author Searching Tips
* Analysis Results
* Citation Reports
* View Journal Citation Report
* Setting up Alerts/RSS Feeds
Outcome: participants will get hands on experience to learn how to
and when to apply the above skills and strategies
