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Bias A personal and sometimes unreasoned judgment : PREJUDICE. Boolean Operators The words AND, OR, NOT, which are used to connect search terms. AND narrows a search. OR broadens a search by incorporating synonyms or alternate terms. NOT narrows a search by excluding terms. Citation The essential information about a book or article. A citation for a book includes the author' name, the title of the book, the date of publication, the city, and the publisher. The citation for a periodical article contains the author's name, the title of the article, the title of the source (periodical), the volume (issue), date, and page numbers. You will need information from the citation to locate an article in a periodical and when you cite references in a research paper. Database A collection of data (information) organized as individual units called records. Each entry in a database has a corresponding record. An index to periodical articles, an online catalog, and a phone book are all examples of databases. Indexes Periodical indexes are used to locate articles published in magazines, journals, or newspapers. They list the author, title, the name of the periodical, volume, pages, and date of publication. Many electronic indexes are available on the Web, others are on CD-ROMs, and some indexes are in paper format. Indexes in all formats can be found in the Reference Area on the Second Floor of the Library or via the Library's website under "Databases & Indexes". Journal e.g. scholarly journal, academic journal, peer-reviewed journal, and refereed journal. Periodicals which publish detailed articles on historical events, scientific research, literary criticism, and other material appropriate for a scholarly audience. Magazine Periodicals which publish a collection of articles and images about current events and topics of general interest. These articles are usually written by journalists rather than experts in a particular field. Online Public Access Catalog e.g. OPAC, online catalog, catalog. A library catalog accessible via the internet. Online public access catalogs have recently taken the place of card catalogs in most libraries. OPAC terminals are located on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors of the Library. Catalog access is also available via the Library's homepage. Periodical e.g. serial, serial publication. Publications which are issued at least twice a year.  Periodicals include journals, magazines, and newspapers. "Current periodicals" are those which have recently arrived and are on open shelves on the 2nd Floor of the Library. "Bound periodicals" are back issues that are shelved on the 3rd and 4th floors with the main collection. Plagiarism the appropriation of another's work or idea and the unacknowledged incorporation of that work or idea into one's own work offered for credit. To avoid plagiarism, you must give credit by citing the book or article you used. Primary Source an original document created or written by participants in or witnesses to an event, materials written at the time by those reporting on the event, or original works of literature. Some examples of primary sources include: poetry, plays, short stories, diaries, memoirs, letters, interviews, autobiographies, speeches, photographs, historical documents (treaties, charters, laws and statutes, court decisions), and original scientific research. Record e.g. Bibliographic record. The unit of information about an individual item (such as a book or article) in a database. The record contains many specified pieces of information about an item such as its title, author, subject headings, and abstract. Reference Collection A selection of library materials used to find information or to do research. Dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs, directories, bibliographies, indexes, abstracts, and statistical compilations are examples of reference books. Reference books cannot be checked out. Reference Desk A set of desks located adjacent to the reference collection on the 2nd floor of the Library. The reference desk is staffed by reference librarians and staff whose job it is to assist library users in locating materials in the Library. Secondary Source Secondary sources interpret, describe, or analyze an event, person, or topic. The author of a secondary source did not actually experience first-hand what he or she is writing about. Subject Heading A word or phrase which describes the content of an item. A single item may include more than one subject heading. For example, a book about the galaxy would be listed in the catalog under the subject headings "Astronomy", "Galaxies", "Stars", and "Nebulae". You may look up subject headings for your topic in the Library of Congress Subject Headings located at the reference desk.