Reference books and online resources like Britannica Academic and Salem Online are great for improving your background knowledge on almost any topic. These resources also provide images and videos, which you can use to liven up your papers and presentations.
Here are some useful guides to help you evaluate information you find on the web:
- Evaluating Information: How to evaluate information, from social media to scholarly articles (Johns Hopkins University)
- Evaluating Print vs. Internet Sources (Purdue University)
- Evaluating Resources (UC Berkeley)
Write Your Paper
The Center for Student Success offers tutoring to all DCTC students, including help with writing your paper and citing your sources. You can schedule an appointment by calling 651-423-8657 or visiting room 2-101.
Cite Your Sources
There are different styles for citing the sources you use in your assignments. Your instructor will let you know whether to use APA, Chicago, MLA, or some other style.
Here are some introductory guides to these styles from the Purdue Online Writing Lab:
- Purdue OWL: APA Formatting and Style Guide
- Purdue OWL: Chicago Manual of Style 17th Edition
- Purdue OWL: MLA Formatting and Style Guide
Our catalog and most databases provide citations for the books, videos, and articles you find in them. Just look for a link that says Cite or Citation, then select the appropriate style. It's easy to copy and paste citations into your bibliography!
Avoid Plagiarism
"Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, the use, by paraphrase or direct quotation, of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgment. It also includes the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic materials."
This definition of plagiarism comes from page 1 of DCTC's Student Code of Conduct. See how easy that was?
Citing your sources is an essential step in the research process. This allows others to verify your information and gives credit to previous researchers and writers for their hard work.
Fall & Spring Semesters:
Monday - Thursday:
7:30 AM to 5:00 PM
Friday:
7:30 AM to 3:30 PM
Summer Sessions:
Monday - Thursday:
8:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Welcome to the DCTC Library's Veterinary Technician subject guide. This guide will help you to
- find online reference resources
- find books, videos, ebooks, and streaming videos
- find magazine, journal, and newspaper articles
- identify trustworthy information on the web
- and cite your sources
For a basic introduction to the resources and services available from the DCTC Library, please see our Library 101 guide.
We have several Veterinary Technician textbooks on reserve and in our reference collection. These must be used in the Library, except with permission from your instructor to check them out and take them home. We also have most issues of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) from 2009 to the present.
Our Catalog: MnPALS Plus
Use our catalog, MnPALS Plus, to find books and videos in our collection. More than 187,000 ebooks from our EBSCO eBooks Collection are also available through our catalog. Many of these ebooks have to do with veterinary practice. More than 54,000 streaming videos from our Films On Demand database are also included in our catalog.
The best way to begin your search is to enter one or two keywords on your topic. To narrow your results, use the Modify Search options on the right side of the screen. You can also click on a relevant title and click on one of its subject headings to focus your search on that particular topic.
Our collection is organized by Library of Congress call numbers. If you like to browse, most books and videos about veterinary practice are shelved in the SF call number range. Ask a librarian if you need help finding anything.
Interlibrary Loan
If we don't have what you're looking for, you can expand your search to include all libraries in the MnPALS system or even all libraries in Minnesota. You can request items from other libraries through interlibrary loan (ILL). You'll receive a notice when the items are ready to pick up here at the DCTC Library. Ask a librarian if you have any questions.
Below you'll find just a few of our many Online Resources for finding magazine, newspaper, and journal articles. The best way to begin your search is to enter one or two keywords on your topic. Each database is different, but there will be ways to limit and focus your results so that you find the most relevant and useful articles available.
Please visit the Library or contact us if you have any questions about our databases or if you'd like help finding articles on your topic.
Our EBSCO databases are the best place to start your search for magazine and journal articles.
Our Gale databases are another great place to find magazine and journal articles.
Search nearly 2,800 newspapers, newswires, and news sites with ProQuest Global Newsstream.
Search more than 27 million citations from biomedical and life science sources with PubMed. Some citations include links to full-text content.
Search and explore scholarly literature with Google Scholar. Some citations include links to full-text content.
If you have a citation for an article from a specific publication, use Journal Finder to see if we have access to the full text. If not, you can request the article through ILL and in most cases you'll receive a digital copy via e-mail in less than a week.
Please visit the Library or contact us if you have any questions about our databases or if you'd like help finding articles on your topic.
Here are just a few of the ebooks you'll find in our collection:
Communication Case Studies : Building Interpersonal Skills in the Veterinary Practice
2010
Exam Room Communication for Veterinarians : The Science and Art of Conversing with Clients
2011
Connecting with Clients : Practical Communication for 10 Common Situations
2009
Essentials of Veterinary Practice
2011
101 Veterinary Technician Questions Answered
2009
A Veterinary Technician's Guide to Exotic Animal Care
2012
LearningExpress Library is an outstanding resource for academic and career development with hundreds of online tutorials, practice tests, and ebooks.
The Career Center module includes an ebook and two practice tests to help you prepare for the Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE). You'll also find ebooks to help you with your job search, interviewing, networking, and workplace skills.
The College Center module can help you develop your math, reading, writing, and science skills.