Abstract - An abstract is a summary which describes the original work. It may be very brief, or go into some detail. It is not the full text.

Bibliographic or citation database - In its print form, it might be called a bibliographic or citation index. In either case, this type of database or index tells where (in what source) the whole article or item can be found. It might also contain abstracts.

Full Text - The whole article from a magazine or newspaper, or other source.

Hard Copy - A hard copy is an item you can hold in your hand; when you're viewing an article on the screen, it's an electronic copy. When you print it, you have a hard copy.

PDF (Portable Document Format) - A means of delivering images of articles to a computer screen. It requires "reader" software installed on the computer. The most popular reader software is Adobe Acrobat Reader. Adobe Acrobat Reader is already installed on all the computers in the library. When you click on a PDF document, Acrobat should automatically launch and open the document. If it doesn't, ask one of the librarians for help. If you need to install Acrobat Reader on your computer at home, you can do so from the Adobe website.

Periodical index - A periodical is a magazine, newspaper or journal. A periodical index tells you in which magazine or newspaper issue you can find an article on a topic. It is much like a bibliographic citation database, but it's usually in print, not electronic.

Updated December 2009