MUSI5300: Research Techniques: Getting Resources

Citation Tracking

When reviewing articles and books, or even searching the Internet, you might come across citations for other articles that you'd like to see.  Citation tracking is the act of looking for the original source of that citation and can be a bit challenging with so many databases to choose from at the Library!

This short tutorial will show you how to use the main search box on our website to see if we have access to the article you're after.

If we don't have an article at all, you can request it through Interlibrary Loan (see below).

If, on the other hand, you see that the article is only available in a physical format (Available at Cheng Library Periodicals Collection), complete an Article Request Form to have us digitize it for you!.

*** Before using your credit card to pay for articles online, be sure to contact the Library to see if we can get it for you, for free!

Interlibrary Loan

There will be times during your research when you find interesting/relevant resources on your topic that are not owned by the Library.

In these cases, you may want to consider requesting the item through Interlibrary Loan.  This service is free of charge to students, faculty and staff of the University, and is a quick and easy way to get hard to find books and articles for your research.

Log in using your WPU username, with the prefix 'ill-' (for example, ill-username) and 855 number (after your first login, you'll be prompted to change this password).

Once inside the system, select the appropriate form and fill out all required fields (the more information you give us, the better, though!).

• Articles from any journal can be requested, and are usually available within 1-3 business days.  Articles will be scanned and can be viewed online through the Interlibrary Loan portal, after you receive a confirmation email.
• Books, Media and Dissertations must go through the U.S. Postal Service, so the average turn around time is usually about 1-2 weeks.
• Book chapters fall somewhere in between, in terms of turn around time, but will often be scanned and emailed, similarly to articles.
• CD liner notes and similar content may be easier to get than ordering the full recording.  If all you need is a copy of the booklet, submit an Interlibrary Loan Article form.

In all cases, use the citation information of the item you're requesting to fill out the form. 

If you're not able to wait for Interlibrary Loan, you can use the WorldCat database to see if other, nearby libraries may have the item you're looking for.  Check with Lending Services to find out if we have reciprocal borrowing with that library, or simply stop by to make copies.

Books & Book Chapters

In some databases, like RILM, you'll find items that are not actually articles, but books or book chapters.  When this is the case, use the Books & Media search on our homepage to see if the Cheng Library owns the book.  If it is not something we own, use an Interlibrary Loan request to get it from another Library!