Online Resources: Credo
About Credo Reference
Credo Reference
CREDO Reference is a great place to begin your research, with dictionary definitions and encyclopedia entries from a variety of reliable reference sources to provide you with lots of background information. In addition, you can use CREDO to find biographical information and quotations. Topic pages in CREDO link you directly to other library online resources, such as EBSCO and Gale databases, Opposing Viewpoints, and Ebook Central. The Mind Map provides a visual image of your topic and the concepts related to it to help you narrow broad topics and find related material.
Accessing Credo
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new window A great place to start your research. Credo provides 24/7 access to general reference works (dictionaries & encyclopedias) as well as charts and images. Among other tools there are thousands of topic pages to assist research by highlighting additional resources provided by the library.
Do I have to log in?
If you are using a campus computer or campus WiFi, you should be able to directly access the resource. If you are off-campus, you will be prompted to log in using your Single Sign-On username and password. Contact the library if you have any problems accessing the resource.
Searching in Credo
- Conduct a quick search by entering key words in the search bar, OR
- Use the “Find Topic Pages” to browse topics alphabetically or by category, OR
- Click the Mind Map tab to enter keywords and search visually.
Quick Search: Enter a search term, such as democracy, and execute the search. Options for narrowing your results by subject, type of entry or media, length, etc. appear to the left of your results.
- The first result in your results list may be a “Topic Page,” which provides you with an overview article, definitions, related topics, images, and links to other library online resources all on one page. For more information about Topic Pages, scroll down this webpage.
- Not every imaginable topic has a topic page, but “Full Text Articles and More” provide you with definitions and/or encyclopedia entries pertaining to your topic, as well as links to search in other resources.
To save a link to the page you are looking at, use the Page Link button at the top right of the page.
Topic Pages in Credo
Credo has over 10,000 topic pages. Topic pages organizes many sources into an easily accessible format. Most topic pages will include:
- Dictionary definitions
- Summary article from an encyclopedia
- Images
- Related Credo Articles from encyclopedias and dictionaries
- Databases (linked to our library's databases)
- Mind Map (see information below)
- Related topics (lead to other topic pages)
- Additional Resources (include link to the library catalog, EBSCOhost, and Films on Demand)
Using the Credo Mind Map
The Mind Map can be a great tool to use to find related terms when trying to develop keywords for your searches.
How to cite a database reference
**When using a generated citation, you must double check it for accuracy! It’s not unusual for a database to have an error in a citation!**
Database information is typically not included in most references because sources can be found in multiple platforms. The goal of a citation is to allow the reader to find the source, not to tell them how to find the source. Meaning a particular article may be found in Ebsco, or Gale, on the publisher's website. Database information is only included if they have "original, proprietary content and works of limited circulation" (Business Insights, Proquest dissertations & theses, Cochrane database of systematic reviews). URLs are usually not included because the reader would need to login to access the source, but your professor may request that you include them.
- Business Insights This link opens in a new window
Your business intelligence resource containing case studies, statistical data sources, news articles, academic journals, and other material organized by country, company and industry.
The citation tool above results in this for an article:
Peters, R., & Quinn, M. (2018). Agrowtopia: Cultivating Community, Consciousness and Capital on Campus. Journal of Case Studies, 36(3). Retrieved from https://bi.gale.com/global/article/GALE|A597895516/48398b0d65e763958fb4d0e51125f445?u=centpenn_itc1#
The correct citation will not include the database information because the article can be found in other databases or through an online search. If there were a DOI, the DOI url would be included. If there were page numbers, they would be included after the issue number. Since there isn't a DOI, or page numbers, and the URL would take the reader to a login page the URL is not included. The reference ends after the volume number.
Peters, R., & Quinn, M. (2018). Agrowtopia: Cultivating community, consciousness and capital on campus. Journal of Case Studies, 36(3).
In Business Insights there is a good chance you will be retrieving items that are not articles, but reports and other data. These sources do not have the citation tool option. These reports might not be found elsewhere so the name of the database is included, along with the retrieval date if they update over time and are not archived.
Author. (Year, Month day of publication). Title of the report [Type of report]. Database name.
OR, if the content updates and you should include the retrieval date:
Author. (Year, Month day of publication). Title of the report [Type of report]. Retrieved date, from Database name.
For example:
GlobalData. (2019, March). Starbucks Corp - Financial and strategic analysis review. Business Insights.
New Constructs. (2022, February 19). Meta Platforms Inc. (FB) [Investment report]. Retrieved March 11, 2022, from Business Insights.
Starbucks Corp. [Company profile]. (2019). Business Insights. Retrieved February 13, 2020, from Business Insights.
McDonald's Corp. (2020). [McDonald's Corp. interim - last 5 periods Income statement]. Retrieved February 18, 2020, from Business Insights.
** When using a generated citation, you must double check it for accuracy! It’s not unusual for a database to have an error in a citation!**
Database information is not included in most references because sources can be found in multiple platforms. The goal of a citation is to allow the reader to find the source, not to tell them how to find the source. Meaning a particular article may be found in Ebsco, or Gale, on the publisher's website. Database information is only included if they have "original, proprietary content and works of limited circulation" (Proquest dissertations & theses, Cochrane database of systematic reviews). URLs are not included because the reader would need to login to access the source.
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
A great place to start your research. Credo provides 24/7 access to general reference works (dictionaries & encyclopedias) as well as charts and images. Among other tools there are thousands of topic pages to assist research by highlighting additional resources provided by the library.
In Credo, either use the citation tool at the top of the page or find the APA citation following each entry.
Copy and paste the citation, and then make any necessary corrections.
This is how a citation from a reference work is generally structured.
Author's last name, First initial. Middle initial. (Year). Title of entry. In Title of reference work (edition). Publisher name.
This is what the copied citation looks like using the citation tools in Credo:
Almost correct, but it does not need the URL in 7th edition APA. This is how it should look:
Posluszny, D., Spencer, S., & Baum, A. (2007). Post-traumatic stress disorder. In S. Ayers, A. Baum, C. McManus, & et. al. (Eds.), Cambridge handbook of psychology, health and medicine (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
The following example, is if there is no author.
Hormone therapy. (2016). In Merriam Webster's Medical Dictionary. Merriam-Webster.
** When using a generated citation, you must double check it for accuracy! It’s not unusual for a database to have an error in a citation!**
Database information is not included in most references because sources can be found in multiple platforms. The goal of a citation is to allow the reader to find the source, not to tell them how to find the source. Meaning a particular article may be found in Ebsco, or Gale, on the publisher's website. Database information is only included if they have "original, proprietary content and works of limited circulation" (Proquest dissertations & theses, Cochrane database of systematic reviews). URLs are not included because the reader would need to login to access the source.
- Ebook Central This link opens in a new window
Ebook Central offers full-text access to thousands of books. In your personal bookshelf, you may customize your content by adding notes and highlighting text. Use your Blackboard account information to log into your personal bookshelf.
Ebook Central has a Citation tool available both on the Detail Page and in the Reader view of the ebook. 
Book and ebook citations are treated the same. They require the following elements: author(s), year of publication, book title, book edition (if applicable), and publisher name. Ebook Central does not need to be listed as the database.
Author's last name, initials. (year of publication). Title of book: With only capitalization of first word of title and subtitle and any proper nouns. Publisher. DOI or URL
Change the format in the drop-down box to APA. The citation ends after the publisher's name because there is no DOI and the URL will not work without logging in. "Dark Knight" is one of Batman's most well-known nicknames, and the name Batman is also a proper noun, so all three words should be capitalized. You also don't need to include the business structure information (Limited). The corrected citation is:
Brooker, W. (2012). Hunting the Dark Knight: Twenty-first century Batman. I.B. Tauris & Company.
**When using a generated citation, you must double check it for accuracy! It’s not unusual for a database to have an error in a citation!**
Database information is not included in most references because sources can be found in multiple platforms. The goal of a citation is to allow the reader to find the source, not to tell them how to find the source. Meaning a particular article may be found in Ebsco, or Gale, on the publisher's website. Database information is only included if they have "original, proprietary content and works of limited circulation" (Proquest dissertations & theses, Cochrane database of systematic reviews). URLs are usually not included because the reader would need to login to access the source.
- EBSCOhost This link opens in a new window
EBSCOhost Web is our most powerful periodicals database, offering the most full text access to scholarly journals, magazines, news articles and e-books.
When you click the Cite tool button the popup screen provides citations in a variety of styles. Scroll down to find the APA citation. Copy & paste it into your paper and then correct it for 7th edition style if necessary. Articles should follow this format:
Author's last name, first initial. middle initial. (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal, volume#(issue#), pages-pages. DOI or URL
In the example below, the first word of the subtitle (after the colon) should be capitalized, but the 'of' in the Journal title should not be.
Corrected citation:
Dury, R. (2016). COPD and emotional distress: Not always noticed and therefore untreated. British Journal of Community Nursing, 21(3), 138–141. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjcn.2016.21.3.138
Business reports are treated differently because these reports might not be found elsewhere; in this situation the name of the database is included. If the information updates over time and is not be archived, include the retrieval date.
Author. (Year, Month day of publication). Title of the report [Type of report]. Database name.
OR, if the content updates and you should include the retrieval date:
Author. (Year, Month day of publication). Title of the report [Type of report]. Retrieved date, from Database name.
Citation example of corrected MarketLine report in Business Source Premier:
MarketLine. (2019, October 28). Company profile: Netflix, Inc. Business source Premier.
[You'll find the date on the first page of the PDF, bottom left.]
**When using a generated citation, you must double check it for accuracy! It’s not unusual for a database to have an error in a citation!**
Database information is not included in most references because sources can be found in multiple platforms. The goal of a citation is to allow the reader to find the source, not to tell them how to find the source. Meaning a particular article may be found in Ebsco, or Gale, on the publisher's website. Database information is only included if they have "original, proprietary content and works of limited circulation" (Proquest dissertations & theses, Cochrane database of systematic reviews). URLs are not included because the reader would need to login to access the source.
- Films On Demand This link opens in a new window
Films On Demand is a Web-based digital video delivery service that allows you to view streaming videos from Films Media Group anytime, anywhere, 24/7! Choose from thousands of high-quality educational titles in dozens of subject areas.
Films on Demand does have a Citation tool available directly below the video frame.
HOWEVER--Films on Demand citations for APA are usually incomplete and should not include a URL (APA citations should only have a retrieval date if the content might change).
You can start with the citation from Films on Demand, but you will need to correct it and finish it yourself with help from a style guide, a librarian, and/or your professor.
Here is an example citation from a Films on Demand video:
As you can see, the video director or producer is missing. However, that information is easily available in the database.
In the image below you can see, in the Details section, that the video producer is Java Films.
A correct APA citation for this film would be:
Java Films (Producer). (2014). The mobile revolution [Video].
Many videos in Films on Demand are divided into segments, and sometimes you might only use a segment in a project/presentation.
To cite a segment: Add the segment name and number to the citation
Java Films (Producer). (2014). Disruptive technology [segment 13]. In The mobile revolution [Video].
**When using a generated citation, you must double check it for accuracy! It’s not unusual for a database to have an error in a citation!**
Database information is not included in most references because sources can be found in multiple platforms. The goal of a citation is to allow the reader to find the source, not to tell them how to find the source. Meaning a particular article may be found in Ebsco, or Gale, on the publisher's website. Database information is only included if they have "original, proprietary content and works of limited circulation" (Proquest dissertations & theses, Cochrane database of systematic reviews). URLs are not included because the reader would need to login to access the source.
- Gale Academic OneFile This link opens in a new window
This collection of databases contains extensive coverage in business, physical sciences, information science and technology, medicine, terrorism, criminal justice and much more.
Articles should follow this basic format:
Author's last name, first initial. middle initial. (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal, volume#(issue#), pages-pages. DOI or URL
This is the citation that Gale displays:
Volkow, N. D., & Blanco, C. (2020). Medications for opioid use disorders: clinical and pharmacological considerations. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 130(1), 10+. Retrieved from https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A612694392/AONE?u=centpenn_itc1&sid=AONE&xid=64436e81.
It should be:
Volkow, N. D., & Blanco, C. (2020). Medications for opioid use disorders: Clinical and pharmacological considerations. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 130(1), 10-13. http://dx.doi.org/10.1172/JCI134708
The page numbers indicated (10+) weren't correct. Downloading the article you are able to find the page range on the PDF, and there was a doi provided.
Contact the Library
The Library is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday from 10AM - 5PM and Wednesday from 1PM - 8PM.
If you need help from the librarian or need to access the library resources outside of those hours let us know!
Call or text 717-728-2500 or email Library@centralpenn.edu to make an appointment.
Remember the Learning Hub is also open with lots of great faculty and staff willing to help with tutoring, advising, and general questions.
