HE 470: Seminar in Sports Medicine

Research Guide
Spring 2005
Professor: R. Rittgers

Assignment:

  • Research a modality using reference materials, books and periodicals.

Beginning the Research Process:

  • Every discipline has subject specific encyclopedias and dictionaries. They are found at the beginning of each LC section, for instance, R is Medicine and Q is general science.  

  • Consult the light blue Library of Congress handout to locate sections relevant to your subject.

  • Some good reference materials for this assignment are:

    McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology REF Q121 .M3 2002
    Mayo Clinic Family Health Book REF RC81 .M473 2003
    Sports Injuries Sourcebook REF RD97 .S736 2002
    Encyclopedia of Sports Sciences and Medicine REF RC1206 .O94 1994
    Merck Manual REF RC55 .M47 1999

Planning a Research Strategy:

  • Use reference sources to identify search terms. What are synonyms for the key concepts? Set up a grid for search terms to record the words you want to use. Be sure to include broader and narrower terms.

  • Use the citations, descriptors and subject headings from useful resources (articles, web sites, and book entries) to lead you to more information.

Grid Example:

Concept 1 and related terms & Concept 2 and related terms & Concept 3 and related terms Databases to Try
ultrasound   rehab*   Sports medicine General Science Index
MEDLINE
Academic Search Elite
LexisNexis
CINAHL
Health Source Plus
 
modality   therapy   Athlet*
Ultrasonic*   Injur*    
heat   muscle    
imaging   Musculo*    

Books:

  • Use ALiCat to locate books in our collection. If we don’t own it, ILCSO Libraries is the catalog for 65 academic libraries across Illinois and gives you access to 39 million records. Books you request through ILCSO will arrive in 3-5 days.

Periodicals:

Most projects benefit from using several databases to locate material. Augustana subscribes to 85 electronic indexes to identify articles. Some databases to try are:

Final Thoughts:

  • Research is a non-linear, recursive process. Experiment with your search terms and follow interesting descriptors where they lead.

  • Keep careful notes as you work. It’s easier to record as you go than to recreate a valuable search later.

  • If you are having trouble, ask a librarian. All reference librarians will be glad to assist you.

Last updated March 18, 2005.
Created by Connie Ghinnazi, Reference Librarian/ Liaison to Natural Sciences Division
794-7494, Office Library 226
 


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