Help For Citations and Reference Lists

End of semester means it's time to compile reference lists for your final projects and papers. Here are some reference and citation tips:

1. Consider using these Citation Guides from the Online Writing Lab at Purdue:
MLA | APA

These guides cover most situations with examples after which you can pattern your own citations and references.

2. Special situations may not be covered in the guides. In those cases, visit the Reference Desk to consult the actual citation rules. The most recent editions of both the MLA Handbook and the APA Publication Manual are behind the Reference Desk on Reserve.

3. The citations provided by databases like EBSCO and ProQuest are not always formatted correctly. There are other citation creation services available for free online, like Citation Machine, which are not always correct. You should use these services with caution, and check their work against either the OWL guide or the actual citation manual.

4. Remember, if you don't cite your sources, you are plagiarizing, and plagiarism comes with stiff penalties.

What are Peer Reviewed Articles?

What is a peer reviewed article? How do I know the article I have is peer reviewed?

Click on the image below to find out what they are, how to search for them, and how to recognize them:

What is Interlibrary Loan?

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is a service that can help you get materials that you can't get immediately through the CLICnet library catalog or in full-text through Concordia's subscription databases. The main uses are 1) when you can't find the full-text of an article in the library's databases (more on that in a second) or 2) when you can't find library materials (e.g.: books, CDs) in the CLICnet catalog.

If at first you don't find full-text while searching a database, try the Get It button when available to find full text. Clicking the Get It button will automatically search to see if the full-text is available in the rest of the CSP Library databases. If it isn't, a screen will suggest you submit a journal article request form through Interlibrary Loan. See screenshot below:

The journal article request form links you into CLICnet, and prompts you for your name and barcode number. Simply enter your name, first and then last (if that doesn't work, try your last name only), and then your barcode from your Concordia ID. This is not the L Number, but the 14-digit number below the barcode which starts with a 2.

Interlibrary Loan is also available for Books and Book chapters, ERIC documents, Theses and Dissertations, and Conference Proceedings which aren’t available via the CLICnet Catalog. Those forms are available at the following URL: http://concordia.csp.edu/Library/help/Forms/SpecificForms/illforms.html

Interlibrary Loan requests can take anywhere from a handful of days to 2 weeks to be filled, so don’t submit a request if you have a short deadline because the material will not arrive in time. ILL service is most valuable to people who start their projects early and research in advance.

Get It

Look for the new Get It button in databases. It shows up when a search result is only available as a citation. It is currently active in EBSCO and ProQuest databases, and will soon be embedded in others. But what happens when you click on it?

First, it checks to see if the full text for the article in question is available either in other databases that the library subscribes to, or in the library's physical holdings.

If the full text is available, the pop-up screen will say Content is available via the following links:

If the full text is not available elsewhere in the CSP Library's databases, the pop-up screen will say Sorry, no holdings were found for this journal. If your above search was not successful, try InterLibrary Loan:

Now, click on the Journal article request form link. A pop-up will open into CLICnet, asking for your name and barcode. Enter your First and Last names separated by a space (if that gives you trouble, try your last name only). Enter your barcode number as found underneath the barcode on your Concordia ID. It starts with the numbers 205 and is 14 digits long. This is not your L Number.

Interlibrary Loan requests can take anywhere from a handful of days to 2 weeks to be filled, so don't submit a request if you have a short deadline because the material will not arrive in time. ILL is also available for Books and Book chapters, ERIC documents, Theses and Dissertations, and Conference Proceedings which aren't available via the CLICnet Catalog. Those forms are available at the following URL: http://concordia.csp.edu/Library/help/Forms/SpecificForms/illforms.html

Library Hours During Fall Break

Beginning Wednesday October 13th, the library will be open for a reduced number of hours for Fall Break:

-Wednesday: 7:45 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
-Thursday: 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
-Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
-Saturday: 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
-Sunday: 6:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Regular library hours will resume on Monday, October 18th.

Chat Reference

In addition to getting help in person, over the phone, and via email, you can also chat with a reference librarian during normal reference hours.

Mon.-Thurs.: 10-8 | Fri.: 10-5 | Sa.t: 12-5 | Sun.: 4-8

Available from the Chat links on the CSP Library Home Page, or directly at the following URL: http://concordia.csp.edu/Library/help/askalibrarian.html

Group Study Room Policy

Starting Monday, August 30th, library staff will once again be monitoring the 4 Group Study Rooms on the main floor of the library. Here are the rules:
• Sign up with your group members at the Reference Desk
• 2 person minimum – Single persons will be asked to study elsewhere, no exceptions
• 2 hour time limits per group
• CSP students have priority

This policy is to ensure that everyone has a fair chance of using the study rooms. There are plenty of areas for single-person study on the main and lower levels in chairs and study carrels, and there are 4 Individual Study Rooms directly across the hall from the Group Study Rooms which are not monitored.