Research Tips for Graduate Students

1.      The article is linked to full text in your database.  ("The 1-click solution.")

2.      Click on to search for the article in Rutgers resources automatically.  (If Get It @ R sends you directly to the article, "the 2-click solution."  If you end up at an intermediate screen, click on SEARCH THE LIBRARY CATALOG BY PERIODICAL TITLE.)

3.      Try the JOURNALS TAB in the box at http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu.

4.      Go directly to the Rutgers library catalog to find all owned copies of a periodical in electronic, paper, or microform.:

                     i.      Go to the Rutgers University Libraries homepage.

                     ii.      Click on Search Library Catalogs to find the periodicals owned by the Rutgers Libraries. Search PERIODICAL TITLE begins with; this title is often found in periodical indexes under "Source".

                     iii.      Look at the periodical record. (The online record for a given periodical title may be separate from the print record but is usually found within the non-microform record as electronic access.)

                     iv.      Use ARTICLE REQUEST to order articles from other Rutgers libraries if necessary.

5.      Use the Citation Linker to search Rutgers resources for a known article. The Citation Linker Tutorial will show you how to use it.

6.      Can't find the article anywhere at Rutgers?  Go to ILLIAD and use the ARTICLE REQUEST form.

Using Google Scholar as a Rutgers database can offer advantages when looking for the full text of known articles.  Google Scholar frequently offers links to Full Text@Rutgers or another PDF if the item is available on the open Web.  In addition, Google Scholar will search standard periodical title abbreviations, such as those used in Medline or PubMed (Index Medicus format), which other databases usually will not.

Use the Advanced Scholar Search to look for your article.  If searching author name, use just the last name to avoid problems with variant initials and so forth.  One efficient search is

author last name plus exact phrase searching,

in which you can use some exact phrase from the title of the article.  You can also specify journal name and date if you wish.

Each item now has a "cite" link, which offers the reference in MLA, APA, or Chicago style. References from Google Scholar can also be exported into RefWorks if you change the settings on the browser you are using.

This page has been copied and adapted from Research Tips for Graduate Students by Roberta Tipton. Video tutorials by Mei Ling Lo (mlo@rci.rutgers.edu) and Jill Nathanson (nathanj@rci.rutgers.edu)