Tutorials and guides help you get started with your research, including how to find scholarly journals and utilize library resources and services.
Research Guides (By Subject or Course Number)
Guides for doing research in a particular subject area (Art, Education, Social Work, etc.) or for a specific course.

- First Floor (Reference Desk, Circulation Desk, Write Place, reference and children's books, talk/group study zone)
- Second Floor (Books with A-D call numbers, computer lab, talk/group study zone)
- Third Floor (Books with M-N call numbers, quiet zone)
- Basement (Books with E-H, L, and P-Z call numbers, quiet zone)
Search for books in the Library collection. Find the Call Number to locate the book in the Library.
Tips for Finding Books
- Academic libraries contain materials that support the curriculum, or what is taught and studied at the college or university.
- Most academic libraries use the Library of Congress (LC) Call Number System to organize their physical items.
- When you search for books, videos, or other materials in the library catalog (MnPALS), you find information about each item. This information is displayed in what's called a "record." For instance, a record for a book looks like this:

To find the book, you must look for it in the library using its Call Number and its location. In our example, we can see that the item is Available and is in the Main Collection - Basement. The call number, LC67.62 .M58 2010, translates to...
- Subclass LC -- “Special aspects of education” -- Shelved in alphabetical order
- 67.62 -- “Social aspects of education. Economic aspects of education.” -- Shelved numerically as a whole number, sometimes with a decimal
- .M58 -- (a.k.a. the Cutter line) author’s last name, “Mullen” -- Shelved alphabetically by the letter, then numerically as a decimal
- 2010 -- the year the book was published -- Shelved in chronological order




Search the library's physical collection (books, movies, music, government publications, etc.) along with online journals and e-books to which the Library subscribes -- all in a single search.
Academic Search Premier (all topics) from EBSCO





Full-text articles in biology, chemistry, education, engineering, humanities, physics, psychology, religion and theology, sociology, etc. Tip: Click the check box to limit to Academic (Peer Reviewed) Journals.
Ethnic NewsWatch




Articles from over 200 newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, minority and native press. Provides in-depth coverage of a wide range of current and historical topics. Limit the Source Type to "Scholarly Journals" for peer-reviewed articles.
Useful definitions:
Plagiarize: To use the words or ideas of another person as if they were your own words or ideas; to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own or use (another's production) without crediting the source (Merriam-Webster.com). Plagiarism is considered academic dishonesty and is prohibited conduct at St. Cloud State University (see side panel).
Paraphrase: A restatement of a text, passage, or work giving the meaning in another form (Merriam-Webster.com). When paraphrasing, you must cite the source of the original text, passage, or work -- both within you paper and on your Works Cited page.
Quotation: Something that a person says or writes that is repeated or used by someone else in another piece of writing or a speech (Merriam-Webster.com). Quotations are placed in quotation marks and "must reproduce the original sources exactly" (MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed.).

Jennifer Quinlan
Associate Professor, Student Success Librarian
MC 140G
(320) 308-5626
jmquinlan@stcloudstate.edu
Library Access from Off Campus
View instructions and get help with troubleshooting.
Student Study Rooms
Reserve student study rooms for group work, available on the second and third floors of the Library.
Equipment Check Out
VIsit the Circulation Desk to borrow digital cameras, camcorders, projectors, and other equipment.
Husky Fetch
Place a hold on the books you want using the Library’s Books and More catalog, and Husky Fetch will fetch them for you.
Write Place
Make an appointment with a writing tutor.
Why Citation is Important from Kimbel Library on Vimeo.
When you write papers for your college classes, it is extremely important to cite your sources using a particular citation style. APA and MLA are examples of commonly used citation styles. Always ask your professor what style you should use.
Citation Styles Old
Choose a citation style (APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian, etc) and follow the guidelines for formatting your paper and references.
Online Resources:
Print Resources:READY REF LB2369 .G53 2016
Official manual for MLA documentation. Print copies of the eighth edition are available in the Ready Reference section of the library, 1st floor. For online examples, see the MLA Style Center's "Works Cited: A Quick Guide."
READY REF BF76.7 .P83 2019
Official manual for APA documentation. Available in print only, in the Ready Reference section of the library, 1st floor. Latest edition is 7th edition, 2019.
Prohibited Student Conduct
From the St. Cloud State University Student Handbook -- Student Code of Conduct -- Prohibited Student Conduct
Any student who attempts or assists others to commit prohibited conduct as defined below may be held accountable as committing the prohibited act.
- Academic dishonesty, including but not limited to: cheating, plagiarism, falsification, and collusion. This includes any violation of the Academic Integrity Policy. https://www5.stcloudstate.edu/Policies/SCSU/Viewer.aspx?id=6