Physical Therapist Assistant: Finding Books

Search the Library's Catalog, PITCat, to find books, DVDs/videos, journals, and additional resources provided by the PIT Library for your research needs. Start with a keyword search to find relevant subject headings and to locate materials.

For additional assistance searching the catalog, see a Librarian or review: Finding a Book @ P.I.T. Library - A Quick Guide.

Full-text ebooks on any subject are also available through the following Library databases:

• Gale Virtual Reference Library
• Proquest Ebook Central
• OverDrive eBooks

Use these tip sheets for assistance with the databases if the Librarian is not available or you are off-campus.

Google can be a great tool for finding information but generally search engines strive for quantity, not quality when it comes to results.  Here are some useful searching tips:

• Use quotes around a phrase if you want to find words in a specific order ("stem cells").
• Start your search with  site: if you want to limit to a specific website (site:nytimes.com) or domain type (site:edu).
• Put define: in front of any word to get its definition (define:citation).
• Try searching Google Scholar to find scholarly articles.  You might not get the full text but we can search our databases or request article copies from other libraries through Interlibrary Loan.
• Google Books searches full text of books and magazines.  Some books might be fully available online.  Others might only allow a snippet view.