Self-help for some popular library-related questions.
Getting started
Library 101 (Module)
Library 101 is a tutorial designed to introduce learners to the fundamentals of working with library research. The module takes an estimated 30-45 minutes to complete, and covers topics such as connecting to the full text of items, forming a research strategy, and when and how to format citations.
Using DragonSearch (2:21)
Learn how to use Drexel University Libraries search tool DragonSearch. Use DragonSearch to find books, articles, and more content available through DUL. See how to search, save, and cite material.
Connecting to Full Text (3:37)
Locate the full text of books, articles, and other works in Drexel Libraries’ collections.
How to Request an Unavailable Item (3:13)
In this video, we learn how to request unavailable items through two interlibrary loan systems: EZBorrow and ILLiad.
Chat with a Librarian in DragonSearch (5:18)
Demonstration of chatting with a librarian while searching in DragonSearch, recorded for use in English 102. Watch to learn how to get assistance from Drexel University Libraries.
Find Your Textbook Through Drexel Libraries (2:13)
Quick video that demonstrates how to find your textbook through Drexel Libraries.
Getting Library Help for Distance Learners (2:18)
How to get research help from the Drexel University Libraries without coming on campus.
Asking Academic Questions (3:21)
From the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
How to Read a Citation (3:26)
You come across a citation that could be useful for your work, and it’s time to track it down. But...what exactly are you looking at? Is this a published journal article? Or is it someone’s masters thesis? Knowing how to read a citation can give you important information about how to ultimately locate the item.
Research Starters (2:43)
In this video, we explore three pathways to begin a research project: reference works, citation chasing, and keyword searching.
Academic Integrity (Module)
Academic Integrity is a tutorial intended to introduce users to the concepts of citation and plagiarism and takes an estimated 10-15 minutes to complete.
From Assignment to Research Question (Tutorial)
A tutorial designed to walk through reading an assignment, brainstorming concepts, reading background information, asking questions, and ultimately forming a research question.
The Information Cycle (Module)
In this tutorial, we will consider how information related to an event or phenomenon changes over time and surfaces in different forms.
Scholarly Sources (Module)
In this tutorial, we'll learn about scholarly sources: how to spot them, consider their credibility, and use a suggested method for how to read them.
Research Publication Cycle (Module)
This tutorial delineates different types of scholarly communication and different methods of sharing those outputs.
Searching
DragonSearch Core Techniques (4:55)
Make the most out of DragonSearch by learning how to use filters and lock them, access full text, save your items and searches, and generate formatted citations.
Using DragonSearch to Find Sources (Module)
This tutorial will walk you through how to make the most out of your searches in DragonSearch, the main portal to scholarly and popular sources at Drexel University Libraries.
Develop a List of Key Terms (Module)
In this tutorial, you'll go through a series of steps to extract keywords from a research question.
Cite and keep track of sources
How to Format Citations (2:14)
Use a simple online search of Purdue's Online Writing Lab (OWL) to find instructions to format citations in the most widely-used citation styles.
Installing EndNote 20 (3:12)
This tutorial walks you through downloading and installing EndNote 20 to a laptop or desktop.
Zotero Fundamentals (9:37)
Learn how to organize your Zotero library, use the Microsoft Word plugin, and add citations to your library in multiple ways.
Citing Using DragonSearch (2:55)
Learn how to create a citation in DragonSearch and practice checking that the citation is correct. Designed to assist English 102.
What is academic honesty? (1:33)
An animated short from Northeastern Illinois University.
Goblin threat: Plagiarism game (Module)
Web game; Lycoming College
Archives
Why Archives Are Important (5:00)
Matthew Lyons, Drexel University Archivist, uses examples from Drexel archival collections to illustrate how archives help researchers to preserve documentary evidence, uncover hidden stories, and help the past come alive.
Primary and Secondary Sources (3:00)
Students are often asked to use both primary and secondary sources to support their research claims. But what are primary and secondary sources, and how are they different? This video uses several examples to discuss what makes a source primary vs. secondary.
Archival Silences (3:00)
Only a small fraction of the historic record winds up in an archives. The voices of many individuals and communities aren’t well represented, are hard to find, or just don’t exist at all in archival collections. This video explores the complicated factors that determine what winds up in an archives and what gets lost.
How Archives are Arranged (7:01)
This video examines how archives are typically organized into collections according to who created or donated them, and why that matters.
How to Navigate Archives (5:50)
This video explains how to navigate archival collection descriptions - finding aids - to find the historical sources you need.
What Can We Learn from an Archival Object? (3:49)
The Drexel University Archives takes an in-depth look at a flyer from the WKDU collection to introduce the kinds of questions one might ask of an archival object, and how those questions can be put into context by the rest of the collection.
Health sciences
Evaluate Web-based Health Information (Module)
From the National Library of Medicine
PubMed Fundamentals (4:25)
Explore the core skills of working with PubMed: searching, filtering, formatting and exporting citations, and accessing the full text of articles.
See more
Use the arrows to see the rest of the videos
PubMed Advanced (5:43)
Explore the advanced techniques of working with PubMed: using medical subject headings (MeSH), combining MeSH terms, and field searching in the advanced screen.
PubMed Clinical Queries (4:27)
Explore the PubMed Clinical Queries tool, including the Clinical Study and Systematic Review sections, how to filter search results that come from these sections, and how to view your search strategy to create a search table.
CINAHL Database Introduction (5:16)
Learn how to perform a basic search, use limiters to focus your results, and export and save citations in CINAHL, one of the most important databases in nursing, alternative/complementary medicine, consumer health and other health sciences disciplines.
CINAHL Special Features (3:38)
This tutorial reviews special features available in CINAHL: Creating an account and signing in, save options for searches and individual items, creating an alert, and attaching a note to an item.
CINAHL Keyword Searching (3:59)
This video demonstrates how to combine keyword searches and email citations for relevant results.
CINAHL Subject Headings, Part 1 (3:49)
This tutorial focuses on finding information in CINAHL using subject headings.
CINAHL Subject Headings, Part Two (4:11)
This tutorial continues finding information in CINAHL using subject headings.
Evidence-Based Practice Searching: Worksheet and Applying PICO Format (2:18)
This tutorial covers the evidence-based practice search assignment.
Evidence-Based Practice Searching: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (5:53)
This tutorial covers the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
Evidence-Based Practice Searching: CINAHL Using EBP Filters (7:00)
This tutorial uses a clinical question to demonstrate features in CINAHL.
Evidence-Based Practice Searching: PsycINFO (12:20)
This tutorial uses PsycINFO to help research a PICO question.
Evidence-Based Practice Searching: DynaMed (4:18)
This tutorial explores the point-of-care tool, DynaMed.
Engineering
Finding Background Information in Engineering Research (6:43)
Finding background information is an essential step in the process of engineering design. In this video, we’re going to explore how to find background information in engineering using dictionaries, encyclopedias, and handbooks.
Understanding Engineering Standards (8:08)
This video covers the basics of understanding engineering standards: what a standard is, how standards are created, and why standards are beneficial.
Finding Engineering Standards (6:55)
In this video, we cover how to search and browse for engineering standards using the ASTM Compass and IEEE Explore. We also examine how to learn more about a standard using published research if the standard itself is inaccessible.
ASTM Digital Library and Project Grants (3:46)
In this video, we cover how to access research reports, journals, and data series in the ASTM Digital Library, as well as review the benefits of ASTM student membership.
Knovel: Find Material Properties (Module)
This tutorial will guide you to find material properties using Knovel's Data Search tool.
Education
Education Research Complete and ERIC (4:11)
Education Research Complete and ERIC are two databases that contain materials from an overlapping but different set of Education books, conference proceedings, dissertations, and journals. Unlike Google Scholar and DragonSearch, Education Research Complete and ERIC are smaller in scope and just focus on education-related topics.
Reducing Textbook Costs for Education Students (4:52)
This video outlines several options for faculty in the School of Education to reduce the cost of textbooks for their students, including: how to gain access to open educational resources (OERs) and library-subscribed texts, how to lower the cost of textbooks for students without compromising quality, and what faculty should think about if considering authoring their own OER content.
Media arts and design
Library Resources for Philadelphia-Based Architectural Research (Module)
Techniques for browsing and searching for relevant books, journal articles, images, and maps about architects, buildings, and Philadelphia neighborhoods.
Data, Statistics, and Industry Research in Television and Media Management (4:08)
Overviews of core tools used to conduct data, statistical, and industry research in the Television and Media Management Field, including Mergent, Mintel, IBISWorld, and Statista.
Literature Searches in Television and Media Management (4:40)
How to find relevant scholarly and popular literature to support a Television and Media Management literature search.
Music Databases from the Free Library of Philadelphia (3:02)
Used in Researching a Musical Artist tutorial.
Musician Research: Secondary Sources (8:42)
Used in Researching a Musical Artist tutorial.
Researching a Musical Artist: Finding Interviews (8:06)
Used in Researching a Musical Artist tutorial.
Researching a Musical Artist (Module)
This tutorial will walk you through the landscape of resources needed when researching a musical artist: how these resources are produced and how to find them through Drexel University Libraries. NOTE: This tutorial requires special permission to access in Blackboard. Contact sk3934@drexel.edu for access.
Business
Company Research (9:29)
This video demonstrates how to find company information using annual reports, tools like Mergent Intellect, Privco, and Statista, and news sources.
Industry Research (8:20)
In this video, we explore ways to pull industry research reports from IBISWorld, Mergent Intellect, Business Source Complete, and Statista.
Market Research (8:30)
In this video, we use Mintel Academic to pull market research reports - reports about consumer behaviors and preferences. We then use ESRI Community Analyst to find reports about consumers by geographic location.