Database Help: Credo Reference

Learn about your topic

Background research helps you understand your topic.

Learning about your topic for a research assignment helps you

• develop your research topic (narrow or broaden the focus), 
• create a thesis statement for your research essay, and
• identify keywords to use for searches in other databases.

Confused about a topic from a class discussion or an assigned reading? Using a reference work from Credo can

• provide another explanation of the topic, and
• help you better understand the concept.

Database Features

Credo Reference is recommended as a background research tool because it covers many subject areas. In addition, the database has several features useful to student researchers.

• Articles from the reference books identify the key concepts of the topic. These key concepts help with topic development and identifying keywords or synonyms to use as you search for articles in other library databases.
• The Mind Map is a visualization of related topics for your search term. Clicking on another term puts that idea in the center and creates a new mind map. This feature can help you focus or narrow your topic.
  Mind Maps are not available for all topics.
• Your search also provides you with links to articles on your topic in a few other library databases like JSTOR. 
• The built-in convert text to speech feature allows you to listen online or download a MP3 file of an article. Select the audio icon to "Listen to this page using ReadSpeaker."

Citing Information Found in Credo

Use Credo Database Citation 

Credo Reference provides citations in APA, Chicago, Harvard, and MLA styles.

• The citation is available at the end of the article, or
• Select "Citation" from the tool bar. NOTE: You can export to NoodelTools but you will need to check and modify the exported citation.

Create your own citation

Where did you find it?  in the subscription database Credo Reference

What is it?  article / entry from a reference source

Which URL? Use the permalink not the browser link. Saving Links in "How do I save articles?" has more information.

Do not research twice!  Save your research — it is hard to predict what information will be needed when it is time it is time to write your paper or prepare your presentation.

Save Research

Create a collection of saved articles

• Click the "Save" button next to any result in your search result display.
• Click the "Save" button on any Article.
• Go to Saved Items. From this page you can email, print,or export articles collected during your session.

 CAUTION Selected articles are remembered only for the duration of your session. If you close your browser or start over, the list of marked articles will be cleared.

Saving Links

 NOTE: The URL from the browser search bar does not link you to Thigpen Library's subscription to Credo Reference. Use the links from within the database.

Use a proxied permalink from the database for easier direct access to your work. You will find this type of link from the page link or the link included with the citation.

There is another link in the database that is not proxied and requires an additional step to open. The standard permalink requires you to first open the Credo Reference database using a Thigpen Library link. Once you are authorized to use the database you can paste the standard link to open an article or page.

The Standard permalink is found when you use the Share icon. There are options to email or save the article with Share. The link shows at the top of the "Export Article" page retrieved when you use Share.