| Abstract |
A brief summary outlining the main content of a journal article or other document. |
| Adobe Acrobat |
A computer program used for displaying PDF files. |
| APA |
The APA (American Psychological Association) style is a widely accepted format for writing research papers, which specifies such things as the arrangement and punctuation of footnotes and bibliographies. |
| Bibliography |
A list at the end of your assignment that includes works for background or further reading as well as those you have referred to in the text. |
| Bookmark |
A method of storing links to individual web pages or web locations on your computer. Bookmark is the term used by Netscape; Favorites is the Internet Explorer term. |
| Boolean Operators |
A means of combining searches to broaden or narrow search results. The operator and narrows a search; the operator or broadens a search. |
| Broaden |
To alter a search in order to retrieve more references. Using the Boolean Operator "or" broadens a search. |
| Browser |
Software used to view and interact with resources available on the World Wide Web. The most common browsers are Netscape and Internet Explorer. |
| Call number |
A set of numeric and alphabetical symbols that identifies an item in a library collection and indicates its physical location (usually on a library shelf), eg.Clin RJ 50 .C87 1993 or
Ltn 610.73 B897t 1990 |
| Catalogue |
Lists material held (both print and electronic) at all branches of the La Trobe University Library |
| Catalogue record |
Details that identify a particular title, including bibliographic details, catalogue access points and physical location. |
| Citation |
Information identifying a publication. Details usually include author, title, date of publication, journal title (if applicable), volume and page numbers. Also sometimes called References. Citations also refer to the standard reference for a law report. |
| Controlled Vocabulary |
Standardized terms used in searching a specific database. These terms differ for each database. |
| Database |
A database is an organised collection of information records that can be accessed electronically. In the Library this includes indexing and abstracting databases, citation databases or databases of fulltext journal articles. |
| Dewey Decimal Classification |
A system for classifying human knowledge into subject areas. It is based on a decimal numbering system which groups related subjects together. It was established in the late nineteenth century by an American called Melvil Dewey. |
| Discover guides |
Subject based guides to information in the library's collection and online. A useful starting point for researching your topic. |
| E-callslip |
An electronic request for an item from the Library's collection. |
| Electronic journals (e-journals) |
Journals published in electronic format, often available on the Internet. |
| Email |
Messages that are sent electronically via computer networks |
| Favorites |
A method of storing individual web pages or web locations on your computer. Bookmark is the term used by Netscape; Favorites is the Internet Explorer term. |
| Full-text |
A complete document held on a database. Graphics may or may not be included. |
| Harvard |
A style of referencing that uses the author/date system. |
| Homepage |
The main web page for an organisation, person or interest group. It is usually the first, or welcoming, page of a Web site. |
| Html |
HyperText Markup Language (html), is a language in which web pages are written. |
| Hyperlink |
A highlighted word or image within a hypertext document which, when clicked, takes you to another place within that document or to another site altogether. |
| Hypertext |
The defining feature of the World Wide Web that allows users to move easily within a particular document or between web sites using hyperlinks. |
| Interlibrary loan |
An item requested from another Library, not at a La Trobe University library. |
| Internet |
A network of computer networks which operates world-wide using a common set of communications protocols. |
| Journal |
A publication issued in successive parts, intended to be continued indefinitely. Typically, a journal contains a collection of articles by different authors, often in a particular subject area. Journals are also known as Periodicals and Serials. |
| Journal Index |
An index to journal articles, often subject based. |
| Keyword |
The word or words that relate to a particular topic. Keywords or phrases are used to construct a search statement to find information. |
| Library of Congress Classification (LC) |
A system for classifying human knowledge into subject areas. Developed at the Library of Congress. |
| Metasearch Engine |
Allows you to search several search engines at the same time and present the results of the search in a single list. |
| Narrow |
To alter a search in order to retrieve fewer hits. The use of the Boolean Operator "and" narrows a search. This is also known as "limiting" or "refining" a search. |
| Network |
A group of computers, connected by a telecommunications link, that share information. |
| PDF |
Portable Document Format. An electronic document that must be read with the Adobe Acrobat computer program. |
| Peer Review |
The review of an article or other publication by a group of experts on the topic. Used by scholarly publications as a way of determining whether an article should be accepted for publication. |
| Periodical |
A publication issued in successive parts, intended to be continued indefinitely. Typically, a journal contains a collection of articles by different authors, often in a particular subject area. Periodicals are also known as Journals and Serials. |
| Reference |
Information that identifies a particular publication. Details usually include author, title, date of publication, journal title (if applicable), volume and page numbers. References are sometimes called Citations. |
| Reserve Collection |
Course readings, which are in high demand and are available for short term loan (eg. 2 hour loans). Kept in areas separate from the main collection. |
| Search engines |
Computer programs which search for Web documents by keywords or phrases. |
| Search Statement |
The combination of terms or phrases used to search for information on a given topic. Sometimes called a "search statement". Example republican movement and australia. |
| Search String |
The combination of terms or phrases used to search for information on a given topic. Sometimes called a "search string". Example republican movement and australia. |
| Serial |
A publication issued in successive parts, intended to be continued indefinitely. Typically, a serial contains a collection of articles by different authors, often in a particular subject area. Serials are also known as Journals and Periodicals. |
| Server |
A computer that delivers information and software to other computers linked by a network. |
| Spiders |
Computer programs used by search engines to roam the World Wide Web. They are used to update the collection of Web pages stored in search engines. |
| Subject directory |
Organised lists of Web pages, divided into hierarchically grouped subject areas as a result of human effort. They are also known as subject gateways. |
| Subject gateway |
Organised lists of Web pages, divided into hierarchically grouped subject areas as a result of human effort. They are also known as subject directories. |
| Subject heading |
A word or phrase from a specific terminology of the subject dicipline which is used to describe the subject of a document. The most commonly used subject headings in libraries are the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH). |
| Telnet |
A standard Internet protocol for accessing remote systems. |
| Topic |
The subject of your research. |
| Topic analysis |
The process of analysing a topic, in order to identify the key concepts and key words upon which to build your search for information. |
| Truncation |
A method of shortening a search term to enable retrieval on variants of the same term, eg. using the search term "econom" in conjunction with an appropriate truncation symbol (such as *, ?, or $) will retrieve material containing the words "economy, economies, economic, economical". |
| URL |
The Uniform Resource Locator is the address of a resource available on the Internet.
Example: the URL for the Library home page is:
http://www.lib.latrobe.edu.au |
| Web |
A network of servers linked together by a common protocol, allowing access
to millions of hypertext resources. It is also known as WWW, W3 and the World Wide Web. |
| Web site |
The entire collection of Web pages for a specific organisation, person or interest group. The first of these pages is usually the Home page. |
| World Wide Web |
A network of servers linked together by a common protocol, allowing access to millions of hypertext resources. It is also known as WWW, W3 and the Web. |
| WWW |
A network of servers linked together by a common protocol, allowing access to millions of hypertext resources. It is also known as W3, the Web and the World Wide Web. |