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Computer Science Research Guide

  • Find Background Info
  • Find Books
  • Find Articles
  • Find Resources
  • Citing Sources

Find Background Info

Background sources, such as specialized encyclopedias and dictionaries, are an essential piece of the research process. They can help you:

  • Gather information about your topic and understand the scope of the research
  • Locate reliable sources and clarify keywords
  • Pinpoint important authors, texts, ideas, and keywords about the research area. Knowing what the primary phrases and concepts are will help you a lot as you are searching through library databases and online sources.

Credo Reference

Credo Reference is a multi-publisher collection of high quality reference titles covering everything from the arts to astronomy, law to literature, and science to Shakespeare. Available titles also include a range of multimedia options including thousands of high quality diagrams, photographs, maps, and audio files.

Credo includes several books on topics in computer science. You can search Credo or view topic pages. Topic pages are great places to get a broad overview and recommended readings for your topic.

Search Credo Reference

View Computer Science Topic Pages

Find Books

Print and e-books are valuable sources for academic research. They will help you to gain an overview of your topic and often contain in-depth information about the scholarship or history of research on a subject. Some books are written by single authors, while others include essays or chapters by multiple scholars within a discipline. Don’t let the length of books intimidate you because you don’t need to read them from cover to cover. Look at the table of contents and index to find the sections that are relevant to your work.

Find Books Using GriffinSearch

You can use GriffinSearch to find print and e-books available through Giovale Library. To get started, search by keyword or type in the title of a book here:

 

WorldCat

WorldCat lets you search for books, articles, videos, and other material that are available in libraries worldwide. If you are doing in-depth research on a topic and are considering requesting resources through Interlibrary Loan, WorldCat can help you discover resources that might not be in the Giovale Library collection.

Search WorldCat

Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

Interlibrary Loan is a service where patrons of one library can borrow books and other materials, and access journal articles that are owned by another library.

Explore Interlibrary Loan Materials

Utah Academic Library Consortium

Giovale Library participates in the Utah Academic Library Consortium (UALC) and Westminster University students have reciprocal circulation privileges at UALC partner libraries. Each UALC library has different circulation policies, but all require a current, valid, legal photo identification and proof of current enrollment at Westminster University. Some libraries may also require other verification methods, so it is recommended that you contact the member library you are interested in for details.

Explore the Consortium

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Find Articles

The Giovale Library provides access to a number of subject databases that you can use to find journal articles on topics within a specific discipline or field of study. The databases listed on this page are those that are most useful for finding research published in the field of computer science.

GriffinSearch

GriffinSearch is a good starting place if you are looking for books, journal articles, films, and other material available in the library. In addition to searching the Giovale Library catalog for physical materials, GriffinSearch finds e-books and articles from several of our databases.

Search GriffinSearch

Computer Science (Gale)

Computer Science provides access to leading business and technical publications in the computer, telecommunications, and electronics industries. The database includes journals and periodicals, providing information on computer-related product introductions, news, and reviews in areas such as hardware, software, electronics, engineering, communications, and the application of technology. Exclusive features, including Topic Finder, InterLink, and a mobile-optimized interface, support and enhance the search experience.

Search Computer Science (Gale)

Find Resources

W3 Schools

W3 Schools is a well-organized website that contains tutorials, references, and exercises that are focused on foundational coding.

Search W3 Schools 

MDN Web Docs

MDN Web Docs is an evolving learning platform for Web technologies and the software that powers the Web, including CSS, HTML, and JavaScript.

Search MDN Web Docs

Code Academy

Code Academy is a learning platform with multiple tiers of proficiency.

Search Code Academy

Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet is a comprehensive site that gives access to cheat sheets, reference cards and other guides for nearly all computer science subjects.

Search Cheat Sheet

GitHub

GitHub provides version control and source code management.

Search GitHub

Citing Sources

Citation Resources

Properly citing your sources shows that you’ve done research to become knowledgeable about your topic and helps you avoid plagiarism. Explore citation resources to learn how to correctly cite sources based on style.

 

Need help with your research?

Get in touch with:

Spencer DeVilbiss headshot

Spencer DeVilbiss

Liaison Librarian for Computer Science

(801) 832-2255
sdevilbiss@westminsteru.edu

Schedule a Consultation

Librarians are happy to answer questions via email, phone, or in-person.

Contact Spencer with a question or to schedule a research help appointment.

Faculty: Contact Spencer to suggest edits to this research guide.

Chat with a Librarian

Use the chat box below to ask the library staff a question. If chat is unavailable or we don’t respond quickly, please use the email form on our Get Research Help page and a library staff member will contact you as soon as we are available.