Thames Academy - Academic Year 2009/10

This guide is intended to support Thames students generally in the use of library and information resources

Topic Development

Research Basics Tutorial

This tutorial developed at the University of Washington will help you identify a topic or a question for research that will be appropriately focused based on the nature of your assignment. It will address the following:

Asking a Question
Broadening the search
Narrowing the search
Selecting keywords and concepts
Vocabulary for broadening and narrowing

Plagiarism Prevention

Mitchell College Avoiding Plagiarism Tutorial
This custom designed tutorial will ensure that you avoid the common pitfalls!

Primary vs. Secondary Resources

What is a primary source?
Created at the University of California San Diego's Social Sciences and Humanities Library, this video creatively illustrates the distinction between primary and secondary resources.

Citation Guides

How to Cite Sources

Citation Machine

Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL):

Digital Copyright Slider

Is it Protected by Copyright?
The ALA Office for Information Technology Policy published this handy tool, updated in 2022. It quickly and easily assigns copyright term and status based on date of first publication, for works first published in the U.S.

Library of Congress Classification Scheme

The Mitchell College Library, as most college and university libraries do, uses the Library of Congress Classification Scheme for all collections except the Children's literature collection.

Listed below are the letters and titles of the main classes of the Library of Congress Classification.

Click on any class to view an outline of its subclasses.

These links are to PDF files that require the Adobe Acrobat Reader for viewing and printing.

A -- GENERAL WORKS
B -- PHILOSOPHY. PSYCHOLOGY. RELIGION
C -- AUXILIARY SCIENCES OF HISTORY
D -- HISTORY (GENERAL) AND HISTORY OF EUROPE
E -- HISTORY: AMERICA
F -- HISTORY: AMERICA
G -- GEOGRAPHY. ANTHROPOLOGY. RECREATION
H -- SOCIAL SCIENCES
J -- POLITICAL SCIENCE
K -- LAW
L -- EDUCATION
M -- MUSIC AND BOOKS ON MUSIC
N -- FINE ARTS
P -- LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
Q -- SCIENCE
R -- MEDICINE
S -- AGRICULTURE
T -- TECHNOLOGY
U -- MILITARY SCIENCE
V -- NAVAL SCIENCE
Z -- BIBLIOGRAPHY. LIBRARY SCIENCE. INFORMATION

How to Read a Library of Congress Call Number

The Anatomy of a Call Number

Mitchell College Tutorials

Evaluating Sources: What is a source? An "original" source? How do I use sources for my research projects in college?

Avoiding Plagiarism: What is plagiarism? What are the consequences of committing plagiarism? How do I avoid committing plargiarism?