Library guide History: Help

Library skills are important for your study. There are different tutorials, digital guides and videos to brush up your library skills. See the link to the E-learning website for an overview of all the modules and tutorials, or choose one of the modules below. 

Do you need help with something? Is a book or an article nowhere to be found? Would you like to get help with your literature search?

We're here to help!

• You can make an appointment with a subject librarian for individual support. The advantage of this is that you can speak to a subject librarian from your own field of study and that he/she will have more time for your question. You can find the information to contact us under Location & Contact (see tab above) or reach out to us via Ask Your Librarian. 
   
• Or sign up for one of the free library workshops.

Research Data Management means storing your research data in a structured way, during your research and afterwards. Humanities studies also have research data. Research data include quantitative data, but also sources for archival research or literature research, results of a survey, information from interviews and images.

It is important to store research data properly for academic integrity. But, perhaps even more important, it is for the benefit of your own research to store data safe and structured, especially for privacy sensitive data. By managing your research data properly, you save time and make sure that everything is stored safely. This way, you can prevent losing data, or versions of your paper, and it gives you a good overview of the steps you have taken. Learn how to handle your data in the tutorial Datamanagement for Students.

• Borrowing books and consulting journals at the University Library Nijmegen.
   
• Questions about borrowing, renewals or reservations can be asked at the Servicedesk across the main entrance or use Ask Your Librarian to get an answer. 
   
• If a book or article is not available at this library, you could put in a request at another library in the Netherlands or a foreign libraries via Interlibrary loan (ILL). If the book or article you need might be relevant for the collection of the University Library Nijmegen, you can fill in a form for recommended purchases. 

• Writing help
  Do you need help with writing a paper, essay or thesis? The Radboud Writing Lab can help you. You can find them in the Erasmus building, ground floor.
   
• Books on writing a thesis and academic writing
  In this RUQuest list, you can find books and ebooks on how to write your thesis, as well as books about academic writing in general, available at the university library.
  
                            


• Reference styles
  There are several styles of referencing. If depends on your field of study what style is preferred. Always ask your teacher which style you should use. Examples of reference styles are: Chicago Manual of Style, Modern Language Association Citation Style, and the American Psychological Association Style.
  
  The Chicago Manual of Style is available online. Chapter 14 and 15 are addressed to referencing. There is also a CMoS manual available.
   
• Referentiemanager software
  There are software programs to help you manage your literature references. These programs can add references and a corresponding reference list in the style and layout of your choice.The University Library offers courses on EndNote and Mendeley. See which courses are offered and sign in.
   
• Avoid plagiarism
  For writing a good academic text, it is important to use references to show where your information came from. If you neglect to do this, you may risk committing plagiarism. Learn how to avoid plagiarism in this e-learning module.