Tutorial for URSP 810: CONTEMPORARY METROPOLITAN ISSUES

The University of Maryland Libraries have many resources that will help with research for your thesis. If you need additional information, please e-mail Patti Cossard or e-mail Lara Otis or speak with a Reference Librarian at either the Art or Architecture Library's Reference Desk.

Because of licensing agreements, access to bibliographic databases and electronic journals is restricted to UM faculty, staff, and students. These may be accessed from off campus; consult Remote access for further information. For a complete list of electronic resources available to University of Maryland faculty, staff, and students, as well as information about the full range of library materials and services, consult the UM Libraries' home page.

OUTLINE

• Research Skills
  • Getting you started
  • Bibliographies
  • Indexes/Databases
  • Journals
  • Books
  • Theses
  • Citation and Bibliography

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The University of Maryland offers a number of tools to get you what you need to be successful in your program.

Getting Started

• Research Port: libraries portal to electronic resources
• Endnote in Web of Science: a bibliographic management system
• Interlibrary Loan: when we don't own a resource you need
• Using the Find It button: when you want to see if the library owns a resource
• Borrowing agreements with other libraries: when you want to visit another research library
• Suggest a Title for Pubrchase: when you'd like the library to purchase an item for the collection

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Bibliographies

• Journal of Planning Literature Indexes 400+ journals and provides comprehensive coverare of the city and planning literature
• International Regional Science Review: regularly contains a subject and author index to approximately 66 English-language planning and regional science journals ["subject index" or "author index" in search journal box]. IRSR deliberately helps define regional science by publishing key interdisciplinary survey articles that summarize and evaluate previous research and identify fruitful research directions. Focusing on issues of theory, method, and public policy where the spatial or regional dimension is central.
• Planning practice + research: its annual section "Planning Literature Information Service" provides very broad indexing of approximately 20 major planning journals. Indexed via Academic Search Premier [search JN "Planning practice & research" and "planning literature information service"].

Urban Planning & Studies Indexes and Databases

• Avery Index: contains citations to articles in 1000+ periodicals
• Current Index to Statistics (CIS): References are drawn from articles that have statistical content, proceedings, edited books, and other sources.
• Social Sciences Citation Index: useful for tracking citations
• PAIS International: source for public policy
• PapersFirst: OCLC index of papers presented at conferences worldwide.
• Sage Urban Studies Abstracts: v. 1-20, 1973-1992. selective abstracts of scholarly communication in urban studies and comparative urban analysis
• Index to Current Urban Documents v.1-28, 1972-2000. Indexing to 12 Sage journals
• Other important Urban Planning and Studies databases

Journals

• ejournals: links to electronic journals are found in ResearchPort
• print journals: call number and location information for print journals is found in the catalog. **n.b. Search under the journal title.
• Ulrich’s Periodicals Directory [online] (McK ready ref Z6941 .U5 2009 [print]
• Standard Periodical Directory (McK reference stacks Z6951 .S78 2008
• Magazines for libraries (McK reference desk PN4832 .K257 2009)

Books:

• Worldcat: bibliography of books worldwide
• USMAI Catalog: access books held on College Park campus as well as all other campuses in the University System of Maryland
• Library of Congress

Theses

• For all University of Maryland theses granted before 2004, search the Catalog by keyword, include terms Maryland and Thesis.
• For only Architecture School theses granted before 2004, use the ADVANCED search option in the catalog by keyword, include terms Maryland and Thesis.
• For UMD theses granted after 2004 and a selection of theses from other schools of architecture, look in Digital Dissertations.
• Many universities are putting their recent dissertations in their institutional repositories. You may be able to get very recent dissertations free directly from the issuing university's repository. For UMD theses granted after 2004, visit our institutional repository: DRUM: the Digital Repository at the University of Maryland.
• For comprehensive access to theses from other schools, access WorldCat. You may request theses through Interlibrary Loan

  Interlibrary Loan can sometimes borrow a copy for your use. Submit your request by using the using the service and completing a request form.

• If ILL replies that it can't fill your request, please contact me. I have a success in the past in contacting the owning institution directly.
• If you would prefer to own a copy of the dissertation, you can request ILL to purchase one for you. You must include a check for $28.00 payable to UMI or attach an IDB form for $28.00 to your request form. Once the order is placed, the 81/2x11 unbound photocopy usually arrives within 5 - 7 working days and can be picked up from ILL or mailed to you.

Citation and Bibliography: You are honor bound by the University's Code of Academic Integrity to provide proper attributions, source citations and footnotes related to anything that is not your own work. This includes paraphrasing and quotations of ideas or texts and reduction of images (drawings, photos) produced by others.