University Library > Guides > English 102 & 370-Career Research

English 102 & 370
Career Research

Prof. Ben Drevlow

Table of Contents:

This guide is designed to aid you in researching careers. The resources listed here were chosen for their general appeal; you will also want to look for resources specific to your particular career, or aspects of your career. Some obstacles that need to be overcome may be found in the books and websites listed here. To find more in-depth information about an obstacle, look in article databases.

Search Tips

This Tips to Save you Time: Find Info Fast Powerpoint presentation provides an overview of the library research process and commonly used keyword search tips. Generally, you will start your research with keyword searches, so it is a good idea to memorize these tips. Look for resource specific tips, such as the truncation symbol and date range limit, on the help screens of the catalog or database, and on the in-depth How to Use guides created by Andersen Librarians.

Use Catalogs to Find Books

The Library Catalog contains records of library holdings, such as books, videos, and government documents. It provides the call number and location, which are needed to find them in the Library, as well as a Location Map link which shows where you can find them in the Andersen Library. The Catalog does not help locate journal, magazine or newspaper articles; to find these periodical articles use online databases.

Access the catalog from any Library webpage by selecting Books from the Find menu, then clicking on Andersen Library Catalog. Alternatively, use the center search box or the left sidebar link on the Library homepage.

Detailed instructions for searching the catalog are in these two guides: How to Use the Library Catalog: 1. Basic Search and How to Use the Library Catalog: 2. Additional Features. It is worthwhile to be both comprehensive and detailed when doing keyword searching. Be thorough by using synonyms and truncation when there are multiple ways to refer to an idea. Be focused by putting quotes around phrases and using "and" to combine different ideas together. Sample keyword searches:

"quality of life" and "united states"

"vocational guidance" and business

(career? or job? or vocation? or employment or occupation?) and psycholog?

You can also try searching the catalog by subject to find relevant subject headings. For example, try one of these subjects:

occupations

vocational guidance

Then choose the subheading from the results list that is most appropriate for your interests. For example, if you are looking for job information in Wisconsin, select Occupations--Wisconsin.

Here are some general books from the Andersen Library to get you started:

  • Career Information Center REF HF5382.5 .U5 C32 2002 13 volumes
    Contains background information, education and training requirements, employment outlook, information about getting the job, working conditions, and earnings and benefits for a variety of careers.
  • College Majors and Careers REF HF5382.5 .U5 P445 1997
    For each field of study, this resource identifies related occupations and lists the necessary skills and degrees required. Sources for further exploration given for each.
  • Encyclopedia of Careers and Vocational Guidance REF HF5381 .E52 2008 5 volumes
    Vol. 1 describes career fields, including background and outlook for each field. Look up specific jobs described in vols. 2-4 using the job title index in any volume.
  • New Guide for Occupational Exploration: Linking Interests, Learning, and Careers REF HF5382.5 .U5 F37 2006
    Part 1 of this guide helps you explore career and education options based on your interests. Part 2 contains descriptions for almost 1,000 jobs related to those interests.
  • Occupations Handbook REF HF5381 .A1 O33 2002/2004
  • Occupations Digest REF HF5381 .A1 O34 1995/1996
    Produced by the Wisconsin Career Information System at UW-Madison. Gives national and Wisconsin salary ranges and outlook projections.

Book isn't here? Use Universal Borrowing or Interlibrary Loan to borrow from other libraries.

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Use Databases to Find Articles

The University Library subscribes to many online databases that can be used to locate periodical (journal, magazine and newspaper) articles, as well as book chapters, dissertations and the like. If you need older articles, or cannot find any articles on your topic using online databases, ask a Librarian for assistance with researching and/or using the print indexes. Please note that indexes and databases list articles that may or may not be owned by the University Library. More about how to find periodicals & articles in the Library is below.

Access online databases by selecting Articles from the Find menu on any Andersen Library webpage. Then,

  • To find a database you know about, click on the link for the first letter of its name under Indexes & Databases in Alphabetical Order
  • To find a database on your subject, click on the subject under Indexes & Databases by Subject.
  • To search several databases in the same system at once, such as EbscoHost, click on the system name under Indexes & Databases by System

Databases can also be reached from the center search box on the Library homepage, by clicking on Articles or Top Databases.

Basic instructions for searching databases can be found in Andersen Library's online How to Use Guides. Additional tips, including various limits and other searches types, can be found on help screens in the databases. Here are some sample keyword searches in Business Source Elite (EBSCOhost):

"vocational guidance" and fashion

psycholog* and (job* or career* or vocation* or employment or occupation*) and (outlook or trend*)

As with searching catalogs, it is worthwhile to be both comprehensive and detailed when doing keyword searching. Be thorough by using synonyms and truncation when there are multiple ways to refer to an idea. Be focused by putting quotes around phrases and using "and" to combine different ideas together.

Below are some great databases to get you started researching your career. Also try subject specific databases that relate to your career.

Do you need to use scholarly articles, but aren't sure whether an article is scholarly or not? Check out the Scholarly Journal v. Popular Magazine Articles guide.

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Find Periodicals and Articles in the Library

Most databases have some full text articles in addition to article citations. When an article is not available in that database, use Find It to determine whether and where Andersen Library has a specific article.

If you are not in a database, use the Journal Holdings List or Citation Linker to determine whether and where the Andersen Library has a periodical.

How? Check out the How to Use Find It & Citation Linker guide.

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Borrow from Other Libraries

There are two interlibrary loan services you can use to borrow materials that are not in the Library.

  • Universal Borrowing (UB) is a free service by which you can order books, videos, government documents and other materials (but not articles) from other UW System libraries for free, and have them arrive here in a few short days.
  • Interlibrary Loan (ILL) using ILLiad, is a service used to borrow books, videos, government documents, articles and other materials from libraries around the world. It takes longer than UB and costs $1.

How? Check out the How to Borrow From Other Libraries guide.

Websites

Here are two essential websites to use:

  • O*Net OnLine
    Detailed descriptions of over 1,200 occupations, including information on earnings, education and skills needed, related jobs, etc.
  • Occupational Outlook Handbook
    Detailed descriptions of occupations, including information on training and education, earnings, job prospects, duties and working conditions, etc.

There are a lot of other great websites out there, and a lot of duds. How can you tell the difference? These guides have some great tips for Evaluating Internet Resources.

Citing References in MLA Style

Whether you choose to quote or paraphrase sources in your research paper, you must cite each source you use. For rules and examples, look here:

  • MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers 6th ed. 2003. Reference Desk LB2369 .G53 2003
  • MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing 2nd ed. 1998. Reference Desk PN147 .G444 1998
  • Rules for Writers 5th ed. 2004. Reference Desk PE1408 .H277 2004
  • Citing References: MLA Style - (Andersen Library, UW-Whitewater)
  • MLA Formatting and Style Guide - (Online Writing Lab at Purdue)
  • MLA Documentation - (Writing Center at UW-Madison)

Want to jump start your list of references? This Citation Formatters guide has some tools you can use...just remember they are not foolproof. You will need to review your citations to make sure they are correct.

Help

For assistance with resources listed on this page, or with your research project, contact a reference librarian at (262) 472-1032, by email or chat or in person at the Library's Reference Desk.

Last Revised: MS - 4/27/2009