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Find and retrieve information to use in your research assignment.
Video Tutorials:
Articles can be found in newspapers, magazines, and journals (sometimes called periodicals).
Use a newspaper article:
Use a magazine article:
Use a journal article:
You can search and find articles by topic or type in the library databases. For most research, you will need to search multiple databases. To find the best database for your topic, use one of the Subject Guides or go to the Library's Complete Database List page.
For example, you can start with a general database to find articles on most topics:
You can use subject-specific database to find articles most relevant to your topic:
You can use databases to find specific types of articles, like news or peer-reviewed articles:
MHC Library will attempt to fulfill requests for materials not currently available in its collection. MHC students, faculty, and staff may simply request items using the online library search box.
Use books & eBooks:
Books & eBooks may be found physically on a shelf at MHC, online, or at another library.
n order to find a book on the shelf, make sure you note the location/collection and write down the call number.
Book title: Substance use and abuse: Everything matters
"Vera Bracken" is the Medicine Hat Campus Library. "MH Circulating Books" is the main book collection. We also have books in the Brooks Campus library and other locations in the Vera Bracken Library including Audiovisual, Curriculum, Reserves, and Display areas. Don't hesitate to ask library staff for assistance finding material. If the status is "Available" the book should be on the shelves. Otherwise it may be requested. The Call Number is HV 5840 C3 C75 2011. You will need the entire number to locate the book on the shelf.
Generally, books on a topic will be grouped together on the shelf. Sometimes books on a topic will be found in different sections of the library. For example, substance use might be covered in Psychology (B section), Social Sciences (H section) or Medicine (R section).
Most books may be borrowed for a four-week loan. Remember to bring your Student ID Card to the Service Desk to sign out material.
If you find books not available in the MHC Libraries, you can request using the free interlibrary loan service.
Like most academic libraries, MHC Library's collection is organized using the Library of Congress classification system. This means that books on the same or similar subjects will be shelved together.
Each item has a unique call number. Call numbers are like addresses that point you to where each book “lives” on the shelf.
Call numbers are read line by line. For example, the call number for The Moral Advantage: How to Succeed in Business by Doing the Right Thing is HF 5387 D366 2004:
 |
Start with the top line, HF; items are arranged alphabetically by subject (HF Social Sciences. Commerce). Single letters precede double letters. (A, B, BF, C, D ... H, HF …) |
| Then read the second line, 5387; items are ordered using whole numbers. (1, 2, 3, 45, 500, 501, 5000, 5387… ) | |
| Then read the third line, D366; items are ordered alphabetically. Items starting with the same letter are then arranged by decimal number. For D366 imagine D3.66 which would come before D4. | |
| The fourth line, 2004, is the year of publication. |
While browsing for books can be interesting, you will miss out on items that are checked out, electronic items, and items that exist in different locations.
To find specific information, the most comprehensive method is to search the Library Catalogue.
DVDs can be located on the shelves of the Medicine Hat College Library. These items are located in the Audiovisual/Multimedia Collection and organized using Library of Congress Classification.
Streaming (Online) videos are also accessible through any internet connection. Access is restricted to MHC students, staff, and faculty. Enter your Student ID BARCODE for off campus access. The library subscribes to the following streaming collections:
Search engines are handy tools that help you find what you want on the Web.
Each search engine, such as Google, uses software (called a spider or a robot) to compile a database of pages found on the publicly accessible Web. When you enter a search, the search engine scans its database to match your terms to terms in the pages of its database.
Each search engine searches the part of the Web it has collected--not the whole Web--and each search engine has a somewhat different database.
Most of the Library Guides by subject include recommended websites for research.
Be Specific
For example, if you were interested in "bias in newspapers" you could search for:
newspapers bias slant censorship journalism
Use Descriptive Words
Use words that describe the kind of information you want.
For example, use words like policy or research to find sites that might be more scholarly, or words like controversy, debate, or issueto find sites that cover both sides of an issue.
Use Quotes for Phrase Searches
To search for a phrase, use quotation marks. Many search engines will then search for the words within the quotation marks as a phrase, rather than as separate words.
For example, "world health organization"
Use Connectors
Check the search engine's help feature to discover what connectors it supports and how to use them.
Copyright
Most images (photographs, clipart, art, illustrations, maps or other visual works) are protected by copyright, and should only be used with permssion. Learn more about copyright.
Public Domain
Some images may be in the public domain, and are no longer under copyright, so no permission is required.
Creative Commons
Many images are available under a Creative Commons license, which grants specific permissions.
Citing Images
All images should be credited or cited using the required citation style (APA, MLA, or other styles).
JSTOR provides access to more than 12 million academic journal articles, books, and primary sources in 75 disciplines and includes a rich digital library of art images and descriptive information. The image collection is available for non-commercial and educational use only through the Medicine Hat College Library Services.
You may come across the terms primary sources, secondary sources, and tertiary sources.
Primary sources are original works or research before it has been commented on, analyzed, or interpreted. Examples include diaries, letters, and photographs.
Secondary sources provide commentary or analysis on primary sources. Examples include journal articles and books.
Tertiary sources consist of information which is a distillation and collection of primary and secondary sources. Examples include bibliographies, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and directories.
Where you find primary sources depends a lot on your discipline or field of study.
For literature students, the primary source is usually the text (novel, story, poem) you're studying. For art students, the primary source would be the artwork.
Historians often look for primary sources in archives, and more and more this archival content is being digitized and made available on the Internet.
In the sciences, the research that scientists are doing would be considered the primary source.
Check out the History Subject Guide for links to various digital collections of primary sources.
Primary sources:
Secondary sources:
The following sub-headings can be added to subject headings when searching for primary sources: