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The Library

FMPH 193/194: Public Health Capstone Research Guide

Library 101 Info

Everything I Need to Know About the UC San Diego Libraries

What does UCSD have?

  • UC Library Search:  for books, journals (including electronic formats), databases, other materials
  • E-Books - learn more about using them at UCSD
  • E-Journals - search for a specific journal (or keep up-to-date with a key journal in your field)
  • The Libraries Databases A-Z find additional databases that could help with your research

How can I make copies of articles or books (book chapters)?

  • Use our photocopies - your ID card is your print card
  • Better yet, bring a thumb drive and do a digital copy
  • Scan the article or book chapter on our scanner

Can I Access "It" from Home?

What if UCSD does not have what I need? 

  • Use interlibrary loan (ILL) and ask us to get a book or copy of an article from an other library.
    • ILL form - if you know we don't have it, you can just enter the info into our online form

Beginning Your Research

A first step to searching for materials on your topic is to talk to experts who can suggest beginning sources to you: your professors and anyone else that they recommend.

There are three useful principals to remember and apply when searching any kind of electronic search tool (a library catalog, a digital library, a database, the internet, etc.)

1. Keyword search in any resource will point you to great initial resources, but you will not find all of the resources you need this way. 

2. Follow up on your initial searching:

a) Check article details to identify subject headings that could help.

b) Find similar articles and scan article references to find additional resources.

3. Keep yourself organized -- use a notebook (print or digital), use citation tools in the database or via UC-eLinks, and learn to use citation software (Zotero, EndNote Online) to capture the resources you find through your searches.