This guide was created for Prof. Zappe's FYS 101-4, Fall 2021, by Kevin Moore
As a group, explore your assigned resource and get a feel for how it works. You'll have about 5 minutes to experiment with some searches and get a sense for how it works. To close, you'll be asked to demonstrate your search tool to the rest of the class. The following questions might help you structure your presentation:
To help us get a sense of how you're doing, please use this online form to tell us what you're taking away from today's session and what still feels fuzzy.
If you'd like someone to get in touch with you and follow-up at all, feel free to include your Gettysburg email.
MUSCAT Plus is the search box on the library's homepage, and it's the easiest way to check a huge swath of our print and online collections. You can see an annotated version of the search box below with icons that explain some of its advanced search features.
Gale Reference eBooks is a collection of online encyclopedias that can provide valuable context and background information about your topic. The entries you find shouldn't be too long, but they'll help you brainstorm new keywords, consider new directions for your research, and even identify additional sources worth reading.
The library provides access to more than 300 different databases, but we'll point you toward a few that should provide what you need for this research project.
Engaging with primary source materials allows you to apply what you've learned from the existing literature and introduce your own thoughts and interpretations to the scholarly conversation.
Depending on the kind of primary source material you want, you'll probably find yourself looking in different places.
You can search MUSCAT Plus for collections of primary source materials in print or online.
The library's citation guide provides information on a variety of styles. We also have the manuals for each style at the Research Help Desk.
The Purdue OWL is also very helpful for MLA, APA, or Chicago styles.