Abstract: A short summary of an article, book, document, or non-print item, written by the author or a member of the editorial staff. reading the abstract you help you to determine if the article's full-text will be helpful for your research.
Bibliographic: The descriptive components of an item such as; edition, authors, volume, issue numbers, date, etc.
Boolean: The terms AND, OR, NOT, which are used to link groups of concepts when searching online. You can broaden searches by adding AND or OR, and limit searches using NOT.
Call Number: A representation that indicates an item’s shelf location usually based on subject. RT 34 .B34 2005 is an example. You use the call number to locate a book in the stacks.
Citation: The information about a book, article, document, or non-print item that identifies it. Pertinent data include author, title, date, and page numbers.
Database: An organized collection of electronic records that are standardized in format and content, which can be searched using specific techniques. CINAHL is an example of a database.
Field: A subdivision of a database record; e.g., Title, Author, Date, or Subject Heading.
Find Full Text: A link that connects a search result in a database to the full text of that article, if available, and/or to other relevant library resources and services.
Full Text: Articles, books, or other items that can be displayed or obtained in their entirety online. Usually available in either HTML, PDF, or Text format (see related definitions).
HTML Format Articles: Articles or other items converted to HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) for display or distribution on the World Wide Web. Can include graphics or images from the articles.
Index: A resource that provides access to the contents of a file, document, or group of documents.
Internet: A worldwide interconnected network of computers.
ISBN: International Standard Book Number. "1585422819" is an example of an ISBN
Journal: A periodical, particularly one containing scholarly articles.
Keyword: Words used in database and internet searching that appear in any number of fields which describe an article, book, document, or non-print item.
Magazine: A periodical which contains articles on various subjects designed for general reading.
Online Catalog: A compilation of computer records that provide access to a library’s collection.
OpenAthens: The newest method of accessing UCF library databases from off campus. Requires login with your UCF NID and pin. https://library.ucf.edu/my-account/openathens-access/
PDF Format Articles: Articles or other items converted to Portable Document Format, a file format created by Adobe and which displays as an “image” of the original article. To display PDF documents, you need a copy of Adobe Reader installed on your PC.
Peer-Reviewed Journals: Journals where articles are evaluated (refereed) by subject specialists before being accepted for publication.
Periodical: A serial that is published at regular intervals, generally more frequently than once a year.
PlumX Metrics: Provides insight and statistics, documenting how often researchers cite articles.
Qualitative: Refers to research that cannot be precisely measured. The research may be descriptive and difficult to measure, or it may be subjective and related to quality. An example: The meaning of hope for patients with spinal cord injuries.
Quantitative: Refers to research that can be precisely measured. The data are numerical. An example: Prevalence of pressure ulcers in patients with spinal cord injuries.
Request Item/See Options: This link connects you to a link of Full Text Options, that you can explore in locating the full text of an article.
Search Strategy: A systematic process used to find the most relevant information on a topic.
Serial: A publication issued in successive parts intended to be continued indefinitely. Examples of this are Magazines or Pee-Reviewed Journals.
Subject Heading: A valid term or descriptor that is part of a controlled vocabulary used to describe the contents of a book, article, document, or non-print resource.
Text Format Articles: Articles or other items displayed in ASCII (or plain) text which displays only the text characters of the item; not the format, color, or any graphics.
Thesaurus: A compilation of terms providing a standardized or controlled vocabulary, including broader, narrower, and related terms.
Truncation: A search strategy method where variants of a word are searched by replacing one or more letters with a symbol. Example: Symbol* would retrieve symbol, symbols, symbolic and symbolism in your searches.
World Wide Web: A hypertext system for finding and accessing information on the Internet.