Resources for Conducting Research

Here is a compilation of some resources to assist you in your research projects (especially, not necessarily, for your Senior Integrated Project [SIP]) .

How to Use Library Databases to Search for Books and Articles

  • Searching for Books:
    1. The first place to search for books is Library OneSearch.
    2. If K’s Library does not own the book, then you can try MeLCat by clicking on the link under the purple MeL logo on the right side of the page. You can request the book from other MeLCat libraries in Michigan. It will be delivered to the Library circulation desk, and you will receive an email when it has arrived.
    3. Also try searching Western Michigan University library’s catalog. You may borrow books from Western with your K College ID.
  • Searching for Journal Articles:
    1. Go to K College Library’s Indexes and Databases page.
    2. If you know the name of the journal you want to locate, click Online Journals at K. If not, good journal databases to start searching include ProQuest Research Library, JSTOR, Guide to Maps, and HeinOnline: News & Business for newspaper/magazine articles (you must enable popup windows), along with HeinOnline: Law for law review journals, for court cases, for legislative statutes and administrative rules (you must enable popup windows).
    3. You should be able to read/download/print the entire articles. But there are some journals that K College does not have online access to. For those, you can read the print copies of the journals at the K Library or at the WMU Waldo Library.

Need Help with Research? Sign up for Research Rescue!

What is Research Rescue?

Sign up for individual help with a Reference Librarian!

EndNote Software & Zotero

If you are managing a large bibliography for your SIP or other research project, you may find the EndNote bibliographic software very helpful. It is available at the K College bookstore with an “educational discount” rate.

  • Note: you can apply for a Ham Grant to reimburse you for the cost of purchasing this software.
  • Note: there is now an excellent free piece of software called Zotero that is a plug-in to use with the excellent and free Mozilla Firefox internet browser. Zotero is in many ways much better than EndNote. And you can use it to organize your favorite websites too for much more than just generating bibliographies. It’s excellent, free, open-source and worth checking out.