Research on Demand

For best results when searching Shepard Library from off campus, log into EZ Proxy first. From the Shepard Library homepage click on the link for Off Campus Access, there you find directions at the top of the page on how to log in from off campus. Click here for off campus access instructions.

For best results when searching Shepard Library catalog from off campus, log into NCCU's WebVPN. From the Shepard Library homepage click on the link for Off Campus Access, there you find directions at the top of the page on how to log in from off campus. Click here for off campus access to the WebVPN.

1. Search for your topic in a database (like Academic Search Complete).

Use keywords. For example, if your topic is women's roles in the political system of Iraq, your search might be "women and politics and Iraq."

2. If the articles you find are in full text, you can read them, save them, e-mail them, or print them immediately.

Otherwise, save the citation information: article title, article authors, journal title, date, volume/issue, and page numbers.

3. Look for the journal title in Journal Finder. If we have that journal, check to see if it is in electronic (computer icon) or print (book icon) format.

4. For electronic format, click on the computer icon. Check the dates to make sure we have the dates you need. Click on the database title, then conduct a search or look through the issues to find your article.

5. For print format (this includes microfilm and microfiche), click on the book icon to see the catalog record, which will tell you what dates we have. Make sure your article's date is covered.

• If your article has been published in the last year, or is in microfiche/microfilm, it will be on the 2nd floor in the Serials Department.
• If it is in paper format but older than a year, it will be on the 3rd floor with bound journals.
• In both places, journals are shelved alphabetically by journal title.

6. At any point, please ask us for help if you need it!!