Glossary of Terms

Bibliography	a list of books, periodical articles, Web sites, or other material used when researching a particular topic.
Citation	a reference to an exact source of information. A book citation includes author(s), title, year, place, and publisher information. An article citation includes author(s), title of article, full title of periodical, volume and issue numbers, date, and page(s).
Electronic Database	a collection of information organized for rapid retrieval using a computer. Wilmington University Library subscribes to a variety of electronic databases which retrieve periodical citations or articles on numerous subjects.
Internet	a network of computers that allows for the sharing of information by individuals, companies, academic institutions, or government agencies.
Journal	a collection of articles and other material, such as reports or proceedings, issued by an organization, an institute, or society.
Magazine	a publication for general interest such as news, popular material, or curent events.
Microforms	a term used to describe both microfiche and microfilm used for the storage of documents that have been photographed and reduced in size to conserve space or to preserve materials.
Periodical	any magazine, journal, or newspaper which is published on a continuing basis or at regular intervals, such as daily, weekly, monthly, etc.
Periodical Index	a list of citations for articles published on various topics which is arranged alphabetically and grouped by subject or author.
Search Engine	a program that searches for a specific word or groups of words within a Web page and creates a list of the Web pages that contain the specified word(s). Google, Dogpile, Ask Jeeves, and Alta Vista are examples of popular search engines.
Serial	a publication issued in successive parts that is intended to be continued indefinitely and which includes magazines, journals, newspapers, annuals, and proceedings of conferences.
URL	an acronym for Uniform Resource Locator: a unique address used by Web browsers to identify Web sites. All Web addresses start with http:// which is frequently followed by www (World Wide Web).
WEBCAT	an online card catalog of materials specific to Wilmington University.

Library

Glossary of Terms