Graduate Student Orientation
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- I'm working off campus. How can I access the databases and read electronic journals?
The majority of our electronic databases and journals are restricted for use only by UF faculty, staff, and students. If you are on campus, the library recognizes your IP address, however if you are off campus, you will need to log on using the UF VPN software.
- What is the best database to use for {insert favorite subject}?
Make sure you are logged into the UF VPN!
The first method to locate a subject database is to search the Research Gateway's database locator. There is an option to search by subject and the databases have been grouped into the pertinent areas.
The second is to look at the Subject Guides for Chemistry. Your librarian, Carrie Newsom, has included a list of recommended databases on each page that directly link to the database search website.
- The UF library doesn't have my:
- Journal: Be sure that you are looking in the catalog for the journal and not just through the e-journal locator. We have an increasing number of journals online but many titles (especially older volumes) are still in print format. The print journals in Marston are shelved by call number and date: volumes after 1990 are on the 3rd floor and before 1990 on the 1st floor. If we don't hold your desired journal, you can request the individual article through Interlibrary Loan (see book below).
- Book: If you can't locate the book in the catalog, you can order it through Interlibrary Loan. You will need to create a separate ILL account with you contact information and specify as much information as you can about the desired book.
- In either scenario, please contact Carrie Newsom so she is aware of the missing resource.
- How can I make a copy of an article in a print journal?
Marston Science Library has Xerox machines located on every floor (see location on map). Copies cost $0.13 and the machines will only take a library copy card ($0.30). If you wish to obtain a departmental copier account, visit the Xerox office on Marston's 4th floor. You can also check out most journals to photocopy articles in your department or a store. Another option is to use the scanners on the 1st floor (located in Government Documents and in the Map Library) to make a PDF of the article which you can then save on a USB drive, burn to a CD, or email to yourself.
- How can I get more help about using the library?
The best way to obtain help is to contact Carrie Newsom, your librarian. She can be reached by email at carnews@uflib.ufl.edu, in person at Marston L-301A, or by phone at 352-273-2863. Please contact her if you are having trouble finding material, wish to place material on course reserve, have questions about databases, or would like to schedule an instruction session for yourself, class, or lab group.
For general reference questions, please call the Marston Science Library reference desk at 352-273-2856 or instant message our chat reference service at screen-name uflibrarian on Google, AOL, or Yahoo. For more information, please see our "Ask A Librarian" page.
- I'd like to use software to manage my citations. Does the library provide such software?
We offer RefWorks, a web-based bibliographic manager, for all faculty, staff, and students. RefWorks allows users to create an unlimited number of accounts, import and create article citations, and format and quickly output reference lists into Word, HTML, or plain text format. You will need to create an account and, if off campus, be sure to use the UF Group code (provided during account creation). Currently, RefWorks is allowing an unlimited amount of data to be stored in each account and you can upload citations, images, documents, and other types of files. There is an extensive amount of help documentation or please feel free to contact Carrie Newsom with any questions.
- How can I find a dissertation?
- For UF Dissertations/Theses: Dissertations/theses are treated as books in the UF Catalog and you can find them by searching by author, title, or year. They also have the special designation of "thesis" and your search can include this term in the advanced search page by using can be located in the UF Catalog by using keyword=thesis.
Starting in Fall 2001, UF made the transition to requiring all students to publish their dissertations electronically. These will be listed as online in the catalog and are in PDF format. Older dissertations/theses are in paper format and the science theses are located on the 2nd floor of Marston Science Library in the southwest back corner. They are shelved under the call number LD 1780 followed by the year of the thesis and then a code matching the author's last name.
- For Non-UF Dissertations/Theses:
- Search ProQuest Dissertations and Theses: Full Text to identify many dissertations written at many universities and read the full-text of the dissertations. The database covers 1867 to the present; however, each university's coverage varies.
- Some notable exceptions include Harvard and MIT.
- Masters' theses are usually not included in ProQuest Dissertations and Theses.
- WorldCat Dissertations and Theses lists all dissertations, theses and published material based on theses cataloged by members of OCLC, a worldwide library consortium. This database includes links to full text of many freely-available theses and indicates whether any member library has a print copy that may be borrowed through ILLiad Interlibrary Loan (ILL).
- The Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) provides links to theses that may be freely available online.
- The Index to Theses "accepted for higher degrees by the universities of Great Britain and Ireland and the Council for National Academic Awards" includes abstracts. This database covers theses accepted from 1970 to the present.
- The Theses Canada Portal provides search and access information for print and online theses and dissertations from Canadian institutions from 1965 to the present.
- The Registry of Open Access Repositories (ROAR) maintains a list of sites with e-theses.
- You may encounter some citations/references to theses and dissertations in subject-based indexes and abstracts. Identify these indexes through the Database Locator.
- Search ProQuest Dissertations and Theses: Full Text to identify many dissertations written at many universities and read the full-text of the dissertations. The database covers 1867 to the present; however, each university's coverage varies.
- For UF Dissertations/Theses: Dissertations/theses are treated as books in the UF Catalog and you can find them by searching by author, title, or year. They also have the special designation of "thesis" and your search can include this term in the advanced search page by using can be located in the UF Catalog by using keyword=thesis.
- My library number isn't working - why?
You need to activate your library card every semester. This can be done at any library circulation desk.
