This guide will walk you through the research process with recommended subject-specific resources. A list of some recommended resources included in this guide is below.

Don't forget to check out our other Research Guides for any interdisciplinary research.

WMU Libraries Resource Guide for CELCIS Students

Borrowing Books

• You can borrow up to 100 books at a time. 
• You can typically borrow a book for the whole semester.
• You will need your Bronco ID to check out books.
• Do not keep books. Books must be returned to the library.

Fees

• There are no fees for late books, only lost books. 

Off Campus

• You can access our resources (articles, databases, and ebooks) off campus by logging in with your BroncoNet ID username and password. 

Words you may encounter when using WMU Libraries 

Abstract: A summary of an article, found at the beginning of the article.

Atrium: The entrance of Waldo Library has an atrium, a room with a dome-shaped, high ceiling with glass

Bibliography: A list of citations that identifies the sources of information in a paper.   

Call Number: A series of letters and numbers to help identify and locate a book.  See How to Read a Call Number.

Check out or Borrow a book: You can use your Bronco Card to take a book out of the library for a period of time. 

Citation: Identifies all of the critical information of a source including  title, author, place of publication, date of publication.

Course Reserves: Materials that are placed on hold by professors at the User Services Desk in the Atrium.

Database: An online collection of articles and abstracts. 

Due Date: The date when you need to return an item to the library. 

Full-text: The complete article online as opposed to just the abstract. It may be a .pdf or an html. 

Graded Reader: Easy to read books for learners of English. 

Index: A list found at the back of a book that lists the topics that are covered in the book.

Interlibrary Loan (ILL): A service to get items from other libraries if WMU does not own it. 

Journal: A journal is an academic publication that contains articles. It usually comes out monthly or quarterly. Can also be called a periodical or serial.

Keyword: Words you use to search for articles.

Monograph: Another word for book." Mono" meaning one, indicates that it has one publication and is not a serial or periodical.

Peer-reviewed article: Scholarly articles reviewed by experts in the field evaluate for quality and validity before it is published.

Periodical: A publication (magazine or journal) that comes out on a regular basis such as weekly, monthly, or quarterly.

Primary Source: An original source of information produced at the time of an event, such as an interview, sound recording, diary, or photograph.

Scholarly article: Written by a researcher or expert in the field, often affiliated with a college or university. Includes footnotes and/or a bibliography and may include graphs or charts as illustrations.

Secondary Source: A source of information produced some time after the original event that draws on primary sources for information. It could also be an analysis of a primary source.

Stacks: Bookshelves. Use the floor plans to see where you can locate a particular call number.

Subject Headings: Established words or phrases for a subject. They tell you what the resource is about.

Volume: A collection of journal issues, usually by year is called a volume.