Off The Shelf

The library recently added thirty new books to its ebrary database; too many to bore you with the entire list here, but we hope that many of you will be excited to find out that four of those books are research and methodology books.   A number of other books are topics that may be of [...]

The library added some new books to our ebrary database in May and June.   For all of you working on your comprehensive exams, dissertations or papers right now, you may be interested to  know that there were quite a few methodology and writing books added.  Here are the titles: AMA Handbook of Business Writing:  The [...]

Often when individuals are doing a  literature review they wonder how they know it comprehensive. Both the Literature Review Search Plan and being able to answer the questions below, can help. Have you found all the alternative terms that describe you topic? If not, check out Using Controlled Vocabulary Have you searched multiple databases and [...]

Have you ever been frustrated in your quest to get a copy of a dissertation or thesis?  You know it exists, but it just isn’t accessible. That’s  a common occurrence, since there is usually only one copy of a dissertation or thesis, and it is probably sitting in the basement of a library that it [...]

I was looking at a book in the library’s ebrary database about writing dissertations, and I ran across this bit of dissertation advice today: You will need to be a real researcher.  Start early.  Join the appropriate professional organizations.  Get and read journals.  Develop researching skills. (Brause, 2000, p. 31) I couldn’t have said it [...]

Picking a dissertation topic can be rough.  You want to do something interesting to you, relevant to your field, and new. Plus, you have to get your mentor to sign off on it. Now you can add hotness to your list of criteria – a new website Is My Theses Hot or Not will let [...]

The recently created Capella University Library Tutorial Finding Resources for Your Dissertation Literature Review: Leaving No Stone Unturned has been recognized by the American Library Association/Association of College and Research Libraries Instruction Section’s  Peer-Reviewed Instructional Materials Online (PRIMO) as an example of exemplary online instruction materials. Whether you are working on your dissertation or a Literature [...]

Our new tutorial Finding Resources for Your Literature Review is a comprehensive overview of specific search techniques you can use to assure you leave “No Stone Unturned” in finding everything available on your topic for your literature review. The tutorial includes the following new media pieces: Defining Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Resources Keyword Searching for [...]

Have you been scouring the Internet and the library databases looking for that perfect measurement instrument for your research study? For your dissertation? How do you know if it’s a quality instrument and if it’s the right instrument for you?  Check out this article from the January 2007 issue of gradPSYCH – “Finding the right [...]

For those of you who will soon be wrapping up at the Jacksonville colloquium (or have attended any other colloquia), here are some of the guides and tutorials the librarians talked about at the library sessions. Nearly every guide mentioned at the library’s colloquia sessions are included in a special section of our Guides & [...]