Abstract - A short summary of an article, book, or other publication.
Annotated Bibliography - A list of books and/or other materials on a subject or by a particular author which includes brief descriptions of the materials listed.
Bibliographic Format - The style in which a bibliography or "works cited" list is written. Two common formats are MLA, defined by the Modern Language Association and used in the Humanities, and APA, defined by the American Psychological Association and used in the Social Sciences.
Bibliography - A list of books and/or other materials on a subject or by a particular author.
Boolean Search - A search which uses "and" , "or", or "not" to link words or phrases. Examples are "russia AND religion", "dostoyevski OR dostoevski", "russian music NOT jazz".
CD-ROM - Compact Disk - Read Only Memory. A computer technology
which uses lasers to store and retrieve information on a small
circular disk, similar to the compact disk in music. One CD can
hold several years of a periodical index which can then be searched
simultaneously.
The Cat - Penn State's
online library catalog which can be accessed via computers in
the library, in the computer lab, or remotely through the use
of a modem. Use the Cat to find books, audiovisual materials,
and other library materials (excluding periodical articles). The
Cat is part of LIAS, the Library Information Access System.
Citation - Information used to identify a book, article,
or other work used in a bibliography, periodical index, or "works
cited" list. A citation
typically includes the author, title, place of publication, date
of publication and, in the case of an article, the name of the
journal or magazine, the volume, and the issue. See also "bibliographic
format".
Citation Screen - In LIAS, the screen which includes a
numbered listing of the titles related to a search. The number
of citations found is included in parentheses at the top of the
citation screen.
Combining Search - A search which uses commands or symbols
to join words. In LIAS, commands which can be used to combined words if preceded by a period are "and", "or", "not", and "adj". See also "boolean search".
Database - In computer usage, an collection of electronic
records, such as a computerized index of journal articles, which
can usually be searched.
Dissertation - A published description of original research
required for an advanced degree.
Electronic Journals - Scholarly periodicals which are available
via computer rather than in paper format.
Full-Text Article - In computerized databases, the complete article rather than just a citation or abstract. In LIAS databases, move from the record screen to the full text of an article by entering the command DIT. A full-text article in LIAS can be printed, sent to your email address, or saved to disk.
The Internet - A world-wide network of millions of computers
connected to share information and communication, also known as
the "information highway".
Journal - A scholarly periodical, such as "The
Journal of Russian Studies",
as opposed to a "magazine"
which is a popular periodical such as "Newsweek".
Keyword Search - A search of an online library catalog or other database in which any word or words are used, rather than only specified subject headings. In LIAS, precede a keyword search with k, i.e. k muskovite. This search would select all entries which include the word "muscovite".
LIAS - Penn State's
"Library Information
Access System", a computer-based
system which includes The Cat, online periodical indexes, electronic
journals,
Library of Congress Subject Headings - A set of books which lists all subject headings used in libraries using the Library of Congress Classification System, designed to help library users determine the best heading to use to find information on a subject.
Online - Available via a connection between two computers.
Periodical Index - A publication which indexes articles or other works, i.e. Reader's Guide to Periodicals. Most periodical indexes are designed to help the researcher identify information by subject, title, or author.
Periodical - A publication, such as a magazine, journal, or newspaper, which is published on a regular basis. A journal is similar in form to a magazine, but is more scholarly in nature.
Record Screen - In LIAS, the screen which corresponds to a catalog card and includes all information about a book or other item including the author, title, publication information and call number.
Reference Sources - Materials in the library which are usually consulted for specific information rather than read from cover to cover. Examples of reference sources include encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, almanacs, directories, and statistical handbooks.
Search Engine - On the Internet, a indexing tool developed to allow users to search for information by entering a subject.
Subheading - A subdivision of a subject heading. For example, the subject heading "costume" includes various subdivisions such as "costume-history" and "costume-Japan". In these examples,"history" and "Japan" are subheadings.
Subject Heading - A term chosen to identify subjects in a classification system. The same subject heading in a library catalog is used to describe all materials on that topic.
Truncation - The use of a character such as a question mark to indicate that all words beginning with a common root should be included in a search. For example, in LIAS, the search for parent? would include the terms parent, parents, parenting and parenthood.
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