Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory
219

Instructor: Dr. John Stiver
Librarian: Shelley Cudiner

Contents:

Research Strategy

Searching for Books

HOMER provides access to the University of Connecticut Libraries' collections on the Storrs and regional campuses, through the UCAT catalog. The Simple Search is your quickest way to search HOMER. Type in your search terms in the box labeled "Search Terms" and choose the type of search you wish to perform using the "Type of Search" option box. Use limit to in HOMER (UCAT) to locate books in your own campus library. Limits will not apply to Author, Subject Heading, Call Number, or Prolific Author/Composer search types.

To view how to do a Simple Title Search click here.

Keyword--Relevance Searching allows you to:

• truncate, by using the ? : astron? finds astronomy, astronomical
• mark essential terms, use +: +music +rock
• mark important terms, use *: *critic? +music +rock
• search phrases, by using quotes: "domestic violence"
  

• To view how to do a Keyword Relevance Search click here.

  Some titles on your topic available at the Jeremy Richard Library are:
  

  Title	Call Number
  Wealth in America : trends in wealth inequality / Lisa A. Keister.	HC110.I5 K38 2000
  Back to shared prosperity : the growing inequality of wealth and income in America / Ray Marshall	HC106.82 .B33 2000
  Income inequality in America : an analysis of trends / Paul Ryscavage.	HC110.I5 R95 1999 (also online)

  Click here to learn more about How to Use HOMER UCAT.

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  Locating Articles

  Journals, Magazines, and Newspapers are all generally referred to as PERIODICALS (or serials) because they are issued at regular periods To located specific articles on your topic, access Online Resources from the library home page. UConn subscribes to over 240 Web-Based, databases. Full Text databases include: InfoTrac, WilsonWeb OmniFile, ABI/Inform Global, InfoTrac Health & Wellness Resource Center, LexisNexis, Factiva, Issues & Controversies.
  
  From the Online Resources page click on Shortcuts to access several popular databases, such as InfoTrac

  InfoTrac SearchBank-Expanded Academic Index

  This database is very easy to use and indexes journals and magazines covering various disciplines, including the humanities and social sciences.   
• Has journal citations, abstracts and many full text articles.
• Limit by full text only, or remove limits to search entire database for more information.
• Limit by refereed journals (academic and scholarly journals).
• Truncate with * example: recycl* retrieves recycles, recyclable, recycling, etc.
• Try subject search first, but remember to also use Advanced Search.
• Articles that are not full text in InfoTrac may be in the library, or elsewhere online check eJournals.
• Email, download or print your citations, abstracts and full text articles.

  Sample searches:
  inequality and income
  income distribution (this worked out the best!)
  

• Using Keyword search:
  Type in your keywords.
  Set parameters if you wish, such as full text and/or refereed journals, and click enter. InfoTrac keeps a history of your searches at the bottom of the search screen. You can retrieve and modify previous searches from your session by clicking on them. 

  

  If you don't find enough resources in the Keyword search, or if you find too many, click on Advanced search in left frame and try searching again.  It is easier to narrow or broaden a search in the advanced mode.

Below are the results for the search. Email or print the article using the links at the bottom of the article. Or you can mark them to save to a separate list.  To view marked list, click on View mark list in the blue frame. From this list you can email, download or print out articles after formatting.   If text is available, the full text will be emailed to you, if InfoTrac only has an abstract, only the abstract will be emailed to you.

You can view articles by clicking on the link. Clicking on Text with graphics is the quickest way to retrieve the full article.

At the bottom of each article is the following screen, use this for printing and emailing.

EconLit
EconLit covers various scholarly journals and is very academic.     EconLit does not provide any full text.  The library owns some of the journals, and some may be available online.  If not, you will need to request the articles on InterLibrary Loan.

• journal citations and abstracts, no full text availalable within EconLit.
• Articles may be in the library, or elsewhere online, check eJournal locator.
• Truncate with * example: recycl* retrieves recycles, recyclable, recycling, etc.
• Search with keywords, but keep your eye on descriptors for broadening or narrowing your search.
• See also EconLit Subject Descriptors.

Sample Searches
income distribution
income and inequal*
income and wealth
income and poor*

Accessing EconLit

EconLit is provided to us by SilverPlatter. Access EconLit from the library home page by clicking:
Online Resources, then Research Database Locator, and then click "E," scroll down for EconLit.

This example shows a number of searches, building on each other.

Examples of some articles I thought looked very interesting for the topic I chose.

Other Databases: To access more specialized databases click Databases for your subject.
For information on the difference between journals and magazines try: Journals & Magazines: How to Tell the Difference.

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Tracking Down Full Text Materials

If only an abstract or extended citation is available, locate the full text of the article by clicking these options and then searching for the title of the publication:

1. eJournals to check if a magazine or journal is available online
2. HOMER to see what is available in the library; search by journal title
   
3. DD/ILL to request an article or book that is not available in the library
   Be sure to submit requests well in advance. The standard time for material to arrive is about seven to fourteen days after it is submitted.
   Remember, use DD/ILL after you've checked eJournals and HOMER (use Journal Title Search) to confirm that the article is not available online or in print at your campus library.

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Web Resources

The Internet offers a wide range of information --from primary documents that have been digitized and are available online to an abundance of sources whose accuracy, currency, accountability may be questionable. Keep in mind that full text articles from peer-reviewed journals are not readily available on the web and can only be accessed through UConn databases. To learn more about primary vs. secondary sources.

When using Internet web pages as resources for research papers, evaluate whether the information is reliable, if a reputable organization or expert is behind it. Question the URL domain (.edu, .com, .org, .gov, etc). Is the page a tool for advertising; if so information might be biased. Scrutinize the design and purpose of the page, noting whether the information seems valuable enough to cite in your research. To learn more about evaluating web sources.

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