When conducting research there are some terms relating to libraries and library research used in this guide and often used in academia. When your professor gives you an assignment or asks about your research, they are likely to use some of these terms.
| Abstract | A written summary of a research article that concisely covers the purpose, methodology, and conclusions; typically printed at the beginning of a research article. If you only have access to an abstract of a research article, you need to request the full text of the article from Rutgers Interlibrary Loan (ILLiad) in order to use it as a reference for your research. |
| Article | A written report of research conducted on a subject. It is sometimes also referred to as a research paper or scholarly article. |
| Author | The writer(s) of a book or article. The author may be one person, several people, or a corporate entity, such as a government agency, professional association, or company. Sometimes, in-text citations will list the authors as the first author's last name, then the abbreviation et al., which means there are additional authors associated with the article. Refer to the full references list of the article to find the names of all the authors. |
| Automation Bias | Routinely relying on output generated by a generative AI or internet search without using your own judgment regarding credibility or questioning that the output might be wrong or misguided. |
| Boolean Logic | These words allow you to combine words or phrases representing significant concepts when searching in an online catalog or database by keywords. The three primary Boolean operators are AND, OR, and NOT. They must be capatilized to be considered Boolean operators by the search engine to work in that capacity. |
| Call Number | A combination of letters and numbers used to place a book in its proper place on the shelf. The call number serves to organize books according to subject in an organizational scheme. It is used to find a book within the library bookshelves. |
| Citation or Reference | Information such as, author, title, publication, dates, and URL of a book, journal article, or other format. It is used to give credit to the author(s) of the information being referenced and gives the reader the ability to locate the original item. |
| Critical Thinking | Critical thinking is the ability to analyze and evaluate information using logical and rational thinking, not accepting information at face value. Instead, questioning, investigating, and analyzing information. |
| Database | A collection of electronic records having a standardized format and using specific software for computer access. The Rutgers Libraries subscribe to hundreds of subject-specific and multi-disciplinary databases for access to scholarly information. Go to this link for a full list of Rutgers Library Databases |
| Full-Text | A complete electronic copy of a resource, usually an article. |
| Interlibrary Loan | A service that allows you to borrow materials from other libraries through your own library. This includes retrieval of electronic photocopies of articles that may not be full-text available at your library but can be obtained from another library and distributed to you through email. |
| Journal | A type of periodical, often issued by a society or institution, containing, news, proceedings, and articles about research or work carried out in a particular discipline. Intended for a scholarly or academic audience. |
| Keywords | Words or phrases that describe the information that you are searching for using the internet or library databases. Should not include all the words in a question or sentence, as the search engine uses these terms to identify relevant results. |
| Lateral Reading |
Lateral reading involves checking the credibility of a source by looking *away* from it and investigating what other reputable sources say about it, its authors, or its claims. This means opening new tabs to cross-reference information and verify credentials, rather than solely relying on clues within the source itself. |
| Literature Review | A written analysis of scholarly sources (such as books, journal articles, and credible websites) that are relevant to a specific research question or topic. Shows what is already known about the topic, identifies gaps or areas where more research is needed, provides context for your own research by connecting it to existing studies, demonstrates your understanding of the topic and your ability to critically evaluate sources. It is NOT a summary of related research; it should include synthesis and analysis in relation to your research question or topic. |
| Peer-Review | When a scholarly article has been independently assessed by experts in the same field (peers) of the research subject being conducted. Peer review is required by scholarly journals to assess the validity, quality, and originality of articles for publication. Some databases will indicate if an article or journal is peer-reviewed and offer the option to filter results to only peer-reviewed articles. |
| Popular Source | Information written for a general audience and aims to entertain or inform broadly. Typically written by journalists or non-experts in a field and are not peer-reviewed. Examples included magazines that can be purchased at newsstands or bookstores. |
| Scholarly Source | Information written by an expert or experts in the field and is intended for an academic or scholarly audience. It uses discipline-specific methodology, terminology, and theory to discuss and analyze original research. Most typically found in databases provided by academic or research institutions. |