Finding Books

Use Tri-C's online catalog or OhioLINK's online catalog to find books about person.

1. Use a SUBJECT search to find books about your person: Obama, Barack. Please note you will need to type the last name first.
   
   
2. Also try a KEYWORD search: Barack Obama OR Obama Barack
   
   This will retrieve a list of books that contain your person's name. Please note that the books may or may not be *about* your person. Check the catalog record and actual book carefully.
   

Books may be requested from other campuses or university libraries free of charge. Use the request button or link. You will need your name, S number, and college.

Materials take 2-5 days to arrive, depending where in the state it is coming from. Pick them up at the 3rd floor circulation desk. Check your Library Account to see if they have arrived or call first (216-987-4292) before making a trip.

Finding Articles

Use Academic Search Complete (available on-campus or off-campus) or Masterfile Premier (also available on-campus or off-campus) to find articles about your person.

Both are research databases containing full-text articles. No need to come to the library to find a copy!

Try using KEYWORD searching, which is the default search, to find articles about your person. For example: Michelle Obama.

You can even add the term, biography, to help narrow results: Michelle Obama AND biography

Biography Resources at the Public Libraries

Databases offered by one or both of the public library systems:

• African American Biographical Database (CPL)
• American National Biography (CCPL)
• Biography and Genealogy Master Index (CCPL, CPL)
• Biography Reference Bank (CCPL, CPL, CLEVNET)
• Biography Resource Center (CCPL, CPL, CLEVNET)
• Business Leader Profiles for Students (CPL, CLEVNET)
• Contemporary Novelists (CPL, CLEVNET)
• Contemporary Poets (CPL, CLEVNET)
• CultureGrams (CCPL)
• Dictionary of National Biography (CCPL)
• Encyclopedia of World Biography (CPL)
• Gale Virtual Reference Library (CCPL)
• Marquis Who’s Who on the Web (CCPL, CPL)

Evaluating Websites

The best thing about the Web is also the worst thing: anyone can post anything.

You should be look at a Website and carefully judging its information before using it as one of your sources. Here are 5 things to keep in mind:

1. Authority
   Who created the site?
   Do they have expertise or experience with the topic?
   Is organizational or contact information provided?
   
   
2. Objectivity
   Is the purpose and intention of the site clear, including any bias or particular viewpoint?
   Is the information presented as being factual or opinion, primary or secondary in origin?
   
   
3. Accuracy
   Are the facts documented or well-researched?
   Are the facts similar to those reported in related print or other online sources?
   
   
4. Currency
   Is the information and content current?
   Are the pages date-stamped with last update?
   
   
5. Usability
   Is the content written at a level that is readable by the intended audience?
   Has attention been paid to presenting the information as error-free (e.g., spelling, punctuation) as possible?
   Is there a readily identifiable link back to the institutional or organizational home page?
   

Citing Your Sources

You need to cite the information you found for several reasons.

1. You are using the intellectual property of others, and you need to give credit where credit is due for other people's words and ideas.
   
   
2. It lends credibility to your paper by demonstrating you researched your topic.
   
   
3. If people are interested in reading more about your topic, they can use your Works Cited page to find the sources you used.

Most times, you can find the information you need to cite your source in the first lines of the catalog or database record.

On the Library's website, click on Reference Tools, then Style Manuals & Writing Guides. These guides will give examples on how to cite books, articles, and websites and how to create a Works Cited page.

Other online examples of MLA citation style can be found by doing a Web search for: MLA citation style

For those that prefer more assistance, try using the Son of Citation Machine website to format your citations for you. Copy and paste the result into your paper.