Library Resources for Distance Students

What the library has for distance students and how to access it.

How to Find an Article in Journals and Newspapers

Begin your search for articles by clicking on the Articles (Databases) link under the "Research" column on the Trinity Western University library homepage. Or go to the 'Articles' tab at the top of the library homepage to get to the same page. Use one of the databases to find articles about your topic.

Choice of Database

A good place to start is with a general database such as Academic Search Complete (by EBSCOhost).

Specialized Subject Databases

There are also specialized databases for specific subjects. Go to the Article Indexes & Databases page to find out about other periodical databases in your subject area. You can refer to tutorials on this page on how to search in different databases.

Search Terms and Strategies

When typing your search terms, choose a few words that best describe the information you want and use the word "AND" to combine these words, e.g. anorexia AND body image AND teenagers. You may also use the word "OR" to combine synonyms or alternative terms together, e.g. teamwork OR collaboration.  See tutorials below for details.

Searching with AND [1:29] vimeo

Searching with OR [2:41] vimeo video

 

Newspapers 

The Newspapers page gives other suggestions for finding information in both current and historical newspapers.

Full Text

Many of the articles you find will be full text, that is, the complete article will be available in the databases and may be printed or emailed. 

How to Find an Article in Journals and Newspapers continued

Finding Articles that are NOT Full Text

If the article you want is not available in the database you are using, click on the Full Text Finder link. An alternative is to go to to Journal Finder to check whether it is full text in another resource subscribed to by the Library. For instance, it might be full text in a different database or available in print on the shelf.

 

How to Get Articles from Another Library

You may request an Interlibrary Loan to get an article from another library if the article you want is not available at Trinity Western University. Please be aware that ILL requests can take from two to four weeks (or more) depending on availability at the lending library. Interlibrary loans cost $5 for books and $2 for journal articles.

Interlibrary Loan - requesting a journal article [02:15] vimeo video

Databases versus the Free Web

Remember you need to use the Library's databases to find journal articles, as these articles are not available on the Web through the use of search engines.

How to Evaluate Sources

The CARS Checklist for Research Source Evaluation from Robert Harris, Evaluating Internet Research Sources

When using a research source consider the following criteria:

Credibility trustworthy source, author's credentials, evidence of quality control, known or respected authority, organizational support. Goal: an authoritative source, a source that supplies some good evidence that allows you to trust it.
Accuracy up to date, factual, detailed, exact, comprehensive, audience and purpose reflect intentions of completeness and accuracy. Goal: a source that is correct today (not yesterday), a source that gives the whole truth.
Reasonableness fair, balanced, objective, reasoned, no conflict of interest, absence of fallacies or slanted tone. Goal: a source that engages the subject thoughtfully and reasonably, concerned with the truth.
Support listed sources, contact information, available corroboration, claims supported, documentation supplied. Goal: a source that provides convincing evidence for the claims made, a source you can triangulate (find at least two other sources that support it). 

Also refer to this tutorial on Assessing Online Resources [05:19] vimeo video