LibGuides Standards & How-to's

When you search a database for a "Full Text" item, you are only searching through that particular database for the document in full-text, and not our entire collection.  An item may exist as a "Full Text" selection within a different database.

If you don't find an item as full-text in the database you're searching, use the "Find It" button to cross-search other databses for that same item.  You may discover that we have electronic access to that material after all.

EndNote is a citation manager that is not free to use. You must purchase it.

There are multiple version of EndNote including X9, Online and for iPad & iPhone.  

The libraries do not have a subscription to any of version of EndNote.

Zotero (pronounced zoh-TAIR-oh) is a free, easy-to-use citation manager to help you collect, organize, cite, and share your research sources.

Use the links below to jump directly to the information you need:

• Downloading Zotero
• Zotero Plug-Ins
• What Does It Look Like?
• Importing and Creating Reference
• Creating a Bibliography
• Syncing Data
• Note Cards

Mendeley is a free application (available for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android) that helps researchers manage and annotate their research paper collections. Researchers can also set up collaborative projects, work and discuss in groups, and share data on Mendeley’s web platform.

Mendeley is an Elsevier product, and accounts are shared across many of their products. So if you already have an Elsevier account, you can use the same login information. Similarly once you create a Mendeley account, the same login details will work for their other products, such as Knovel, Engineering Village or Science Direct.

The Mendeley Support Center has an FAQ that is a helpful resource.

The video What is Mendeley?, provides a nice overview of not just itself but the capabilities of citation managers in general.

The CRAAP method

Currency (When?) 
When was the article published? If the article is on a website, when was the page last updated? Are links to other sites still active?

Relevance (What?) 
Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question? Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for your needs)? Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use?

Authority (Who?) 
Who wrote the article? What are the credentials of the author? How can I find out more about the author?

Accuracy (Where?) 
Is the information supported by evidence? Has the information been reviewed or refereed? Can you verify any of the information in another source? Are there spelling, grammar or typographical errors?

Purpose / Bias (Why?) 
What is the purpose of the periodical? What does the author say is the purpose of the article? Is the article objective or is only one point of view presented? Does the language or tone seem unbiased and free of emotion?

Download complete table.