LibGuides: English as a Second Language (ESL): Finding Resources

Finding Resources

Use the library catalog and O h ioLINK to search for both physical and Ebooks.

What is OhioLINK!

O h ioLINK is a consortium of 90 Ohio college and university libraries, plus the State Library of Ohio, that work together to get you the information you need, whenever and wherever you need it.

Use the OhioLINK catalog to search for books that can be requested.

When you find a book, to access the delivery service click on “Request”. Follow the prompts.

Select Institution: U of Rio Grande & RGCC.
Your Name: First and Last.
Your “Barcode” is simply an “S” followed by your Student ID Number (Example: s300123456).
If you need a Library PIN: It is the last four-digits of your social security number.

Generally: It takes 3 to 5 business days for books to be ready for you to pick-up at Davis Library's Circulation Desk.

"Ready" Status in "My Record" from Davis Library's Homepage indicates materials are at Davis Library's Circulation Desk and ready to be picked up. An email saying "Ready" will also be sent.

Students may have books for three weeks and possibly renew the book six times through "My Record". Charges may be levied for overdue or lost books.

Tutorial Video: Requesting a book via OhioLINK

Print Books

Below is an example result for a book that can be found in the library. Note the item has a location call number and availability

EBooks

Through Davis Library and OhioLink you have access to thousand of Ebooks. Note the the record below denotes that the item is an online resource.

Ebook Collections

ARPA E-book Collection This link opens in a new window Full text e-books covering a variety of subjects. Includes OhioLINK's ARPA-funded e-book collection. [OhioLINK]
Ebook Central This link opens in a new window Full text e-books covering a variety of subjects. Includes OhioLINK's ARPA-funded e-book collection. [OhioLINK]
EBSCO eBook Collection (formerly NetLibrary) This link opens in a new window A library of electronic books (e-books) on many academic subjects. The collection includes thousands of titles purchased by OhioLINK, plus thousands of public-domain e-books. Users can preview an e-book online, peruse a page, read each page in depth, jump to specific chapters or pages, or use links in the Table of Content or Index to go directly to specific chapters of interest. Every word in every book is searchable. This collection operates on the library check-out model, where readers check out e-books for a specified amount of time. This collection was formerly known as NetLibrary. [OhioLINK]
De Gruyter University Press Books This link opens in a new window E-books from Columbia, Harvard, California, Stanford, Toronto, and University of Pennsylvania presses covering a variety of subjects, including sciences, humanities, business, technology, medicine, law, and more. [OhioLINK]
Electronic Book Center (EBC) This link opens in a new window Thousands of scholarly and reference e-books covering the humanities, sciences and social sciences. [OhioLINK]
Elsevier eBooks This link opens in a new window E-books in subjects including earth and planetary sciences, engineering and computing, life and biological sciences, medical sciences, physical sciences, and social sciences. [OhioLINK]

Article Databases

Article databases are online collections of scholarly articles. These databases allow researchers to search and access a wide range of academic literature, including peer-reviewed journal articles, conference papers, and periodical, sometimes books or dissertations.

Journals are scholarly publications that contain articles written by researchers, scholars, and experts in specific fields of study. They are published regularly (e.g., monthly, quarterly) and typically undergo a peer-review process to ensure the quality and validity of the research presented. Journals serve as important channels for disseminating new research findings and advancing knowledge within academic and professional communities.

Periodicals refer to any publication issued periodically, such as magazines, newspapers, and journals. In an academic context, "periodical" often specifically refers to scholarly journals and other publications that appear at regular intervals. These periodicals contribute to the ongoing discourse and development of knowledge within their respective fields.

Tutorial Video: Finding Articles in Academic Search Complete

General Databases:

Full list of databases found here

Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window Academic Search Complete, designed specifically for academic institutions, is the world's most comprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text database, with more than 5,300 full-text periodicals, including 4,400 peer-reviewed journals. In addition to full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for more than 9,300 journals and a total of 10,900 publications including monographs, reports, conference proceedings, etc. This scholarly collection offers full text coverage of information in many areas of academic study including: archaeology, area studies, astronomy, biology, chemistry, civil engineering, electrical engineering, ethnic & multicultural studies, food science & technology, general science, geography, geology, law, mathematics, mechanical engineering, music, physics, psychology, religion & theology, women's studies, and other fields. Index, abstracts, and full text for many scholarly publications covering all academic areas of study. [OhioLINK]
ArticleFirst This link opens in a new window An index of the items listed on table of contents pages of over 12,000 journals. This index covers articles, news stories, letters and other items on topics as diverse as business, humanities, medicine, popular culture, sciences, social sciences, and technology. For most items, the database also provides a list of libraries that hold the journal. [OhioLINK]
Digital Commons Network This link opens in a new window The Digital Commons Network brings together scholarship from hundreds of universities and colleges, providing open access to peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, dissertations, working papers, conference proceedings, and other original scholarly work. This constantly growing body of publications is curated by university librarians and their supporting institutions, and represents thousands of disciplines and subject areas, from Architecture to Zoology. The intuitive, visual interface invites exploration of the discipline-specific Commons by mousing over the color wheel. [OhioLINK]
Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center (OhioLINK) This link opens in a new window Online theses and dissertations from Ohio graduate students. [OhioLINK]

Subject Specific Databases:

American & English Literature This link opens in a new window Contains many works of poetry, drama, and prose, based on books and other sources originally published in print. Collections include: 20th Century African American Poetry Collection; 20th Century American Poetry Collection; 20th Century English Poetry Collection; African American Poetry 1700-1900 Collection; American Poetry 1600-1900 Collection; Bible in English; Bibliography of American Literature; Early American Fiction 1774-1850; Editions and Adaptations of Shakespeare; Eighteenth-Century Fiction 1700-1800; English Poetry 600-1900 Collection; English Prose Drama 1280-1915; English Verse Drama 13-19th Centuries; W.B. Yeats Collections. Full text of books and other sources of poetry, drama and prose originally published in print. Also includes 21 historic editions of the Bible in English. [OhioLINK]
Roget’s International Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases This link opens in a new window Peter Roget's classic structure coupled with Mawson's modernization, with 85,000 hyperlinked cross-references - thus fulfilling their goal of "each word being related to its neighbors and each part to the whole." Additionally, over 2,900 proverbs and quotations from classic and modern authors illustrate the 1,000-plus entries. [OhioLINK]

Newspapers and Magazines

Access World News Research Collection (AWN) Newspapers This link opens in a new window NewsBank provides a comprehensive collection of reliable news sources covering a wide array of topics and issues. Includes current and archived news content (with backfiles beginning in the 1980s) from more than 14,200 sources spanning 200+ countries and territories.
Newspaper Source This link opens in a new window Newspaper Source provides full text for 185 national (U.S.) and international newspapers, including Christian Science Monitor, USA Today, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, The Times (London), Toronto Star, etc. The database also contains selective full text for 392 regional (U.S.) newspapers. In addition, full-text television & radio news transcripts are provided from CBS News, CNN, CNN International, FOX News, NPR, etc. [OhioLINK]

Reference Sources

Reference sources are types of resource that provide authoritative, factual information on a specific topic. Examples include encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, atlases, almanacs, and directories. These sources are designed to be consulted for specific information rather than read from cover to cover.

Role in the Research Process:

Initial Stage:
- Background Information: Reference sources are often used at the beginning of the research process to gain a broad understanding of a topic. They provide definitions, overviews, key facts, and foundational information.
- Clarifying Concepts: They help clarify terminology and concepts, ensuring that researchers have a clear and accurate understanding of the subject matter.
Formulating Research Questions:
- Identifying Gaps: By consulting reference sources, researchers can identify what is already known and what remains to be explored, helping to formulate precise research questions.
- Generating Ideas: They can also inspire new ideas and directions for further research.
Citing Reliable Information:
- Credibility: Reference sources are typically written and reviewed by experts, providing credible and reliable information that can be cited in academic work.
Quick Facts and Data:
- Efficiency: They offer quick access to essential facts, statistics, and data, which can be crucial for supporting arguments and providing evidence in research papers and projects.

Finding Reference sources for your topic

Oxford Digital Reference Shelf This link opens in a new window Oxford Reference is the premier online reference product, spanning 25 different subject areas, bringing together 2 million digitized entries across Oxford University Press’s Dictionaries, Companions and Encyclopedias. [OhioLINK]
Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window The accepted authority on the evolution of the English language over the last millennium. It is a guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of over half a million words, both present and past. It traces the usage of words through 2.5 million quotations from a wide range of international English language sources, from classic literature and specialist periodicals to film scripts and cookery books. The OED covers words from across the English-speaking world, from North America to South Africa, from Australia and New Zealand to the Caribbean. It also offers the best in etymological analysis, listings of variant spellings, and shows pronunciation using the International Phonetic Alphabet. [OhioLINK]
Points of View Reference Source This link opens in a new window Points of View Reference Source is designed to assist researchers in understanding the full scope of controversial subjects. High school and undergraduate students can use Points of View as a guide to debating, developing arguments, writing position papers, and developing critical thinking skills. Each Points of View Essay includes a series of questions and additional material to generate further thought. Also included are thousands of supporting articles from the world's top political and societal publications. The Points of View Debate Blog is a forum for students to express and exchange their unique views on topics in the news. [OhioLINK]
Very Short Introductions This link opens in a new window Very Short Introductions can change the way you think about the things that interest you, and are the perfect introduction to subjects you previously knew nothing about: from Climate to Consciousness, Game Theory to Ancient Warfare, Privacy to Islamic History, Globalization to Literary Theory. Very Short Introductions online bringing together titles from this well-known and established print series, via a highly discoverable and fully cross-searchable platform. [OhioLINK]
Science Reference Source This link opens in a new window A comprehensive research database that provides easy access to a multitude of full-text science-oriented content. Science Reference Center contains full text for hundreds of science encyclopedias, reference books, periodicals, and other sources. Topics covered include: biology, chemistry, earth & space science, environmental science, health & medicine, history of science, life science, physics, science & society, science as inquiry, scientists, technology and wildlife. Science Reference Center also satisfies the demand for standards-based content by providing teachers and librarians with articles correlated to state and national curriculum standards. [OhioLINK]
Routledge Handbooks This link opens in a new window Up-to-date overviews of classic and current research across the Humanities, Social Sciences, Education, Psychology, Engineering, and Built Environment from Routledge and CRC Press. [OhioLINK]
Roget’s International Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases This link opens in a new window Peter Roget's classic structure coupled with Mawson's modernization, with 85,000 hyperlinked cross-references - thus fulfilling their goal of "each word being related to its neighbors and each part to the whole." Additionally, over 2,900 proverbs and quotations from classic and modern authors illustrate the 1,000-plus entries. [OhioLINK]

Basic first steps when conducting research in an academic library. For a fuller treatment of the research process visit "Research Process" tab in the side navigation bar.

1. Define Your Topic

Clear Research Question: Focus your topic to identify relevant keywords.

2. Develop Search Strategies

Keywords: Use specific and terms relevant to your topic, include synonyms.
Boolean Operators: Combine (AND), exclude (NOT), or broaden (OR) search terms.
Phrase Searching: Use quotation marks for exact phrases.
Truncation and Wildcards: Use symbols like * or ? for word variations.

3. Access Library Resources

Library Catalog (RioCat): Search for books, e-books, journals.
Databases: Access scholarly articles and journals through databases like Academic Search Complete, CINAHL.
Subject Guides: Use guides tailored to specific disciplines.

4. Evaluate Sources for relevance and reliability, also:

Authority: Check the author’s credentials.
Accuracy: Verify information across multiple sources.
Bias: Identify potential biases.
Currency: Ensure information is up-to-date.

5. Organize Research

Citation Management Tools: Use tools like Zotero or EndNote.
Annotated Bibliographies: Summarize and evaluate sources.

6. Seek Help

Librarians: Ask for assistance with resources and strategies.
Workshops and Tutorials: Participate to enhance skills.

The videos below offer tutorials for conducting both basic and advanced searches in Academic Search Complete.

Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window Academic Search Complete, designed specifically for academic institutions, is the world's most comprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text database, with more than 5,300 full-text periodicals, including 4,400 peer-reviewed journals. In addition to full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for more than 9,300 journals and a total of 10,900 publications including monographs, reports, conference proceedings, etc. This scholarly collection offers full text coverage of information in many areas of academic study including: archaeology, area studies, astronomy, biology, chemistry, civil engineering, electrical engineering, ethnic & multicultural studies, food science & technology, general science, geography, geology, law, mathematics, mechanical engineering, music, physics, psychology, religion & theology, women's studies, and other fields. Index, abstracts, and full text for many scholarly publications covering all academic areas of study. [OhioLINK]

Data and Statistical Sources

Data are raw, unprocessed facts and figures collected from observations, experiments, or surveys.

Statistics involve the analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data to identify patterns and draw conclusions.

In the research process, data provides the essential information needed to explore research questions, while statistics are used to analyze this data, validate findings, and support conclusions. Together, they enable researchers to make informed decisions, test hypotheses, and contribute to knowledge in their field.

Datasets & Statistical Sources
by Carrie Girton Last Updated Sep 20, 2024 554 views this year

Databases

Data Planet Foundations This link opens in a new window A dynamic tool to scan and search the contents of billions of datasets from the United States. Compare and contrast variables of interest and create customized views in tables, maps, rankings, and charts. Views also include descriptive summaries of the datasets and data sources. Datasets cover a wide range of subjects – including business, finance, banking, economics, sociology, political science, demography, agriculture, education, international studies, criminal justice, housing and construction, labor and employment, energy resources and industries, and more. Sources include public, private/commercial, and nongovernmental organizations, as well as Woods & Poole Economics, Inc. [OhioLINK]
Historical Statistics of the United States This link opens in a new window The standard source for the quantitative facts of American history. HSUS provides data on social, behavioral, humanistic, and natural sciences including history, economics, government, finance, sociology, demography, education, law, natural resources, climate, religion, international migration, and trade - quantitative facts of American History. The fully searchable and downloadable electronic edition permits users to graph individual tables and create customized tables and spreadsheets reflecting their own particular areas of interest. [OhioLINK]

English as a Second Language (ESL)

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