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Step #1: Background information
Locate an encyclopedia article on your topic.
Encyclopedias provide background information, present important
issues and subtopics, and provide a timeframe and history. Articles
in subject encyclopedias are often signed and written by scholars in
the field and provide a bibliography of additional sources. To
locate reference sources on your topic, browse the reference
collection D 20-100' s.
Call numbers:
CB and D 20 - D100's locate reference books on medieval topics
Examples of
reference titles and call numbers:
Dictionary of the Middle Ages, Ref D114.D5
Larousse Encyclopedia of Ancient and Medieval History,
Ref D59.L373
Atlas of Medieval Man, Ref CB351.P55
Wilson Calendar of World History, Ref D11.W65
Dictionary of the History of Ideas, Ref CB5.D52
Asimov's Chronology of the World, Ref D11.A76 |
Step #2: Books
Look for books using the
SMC catalog. Search with the subject headings listed above or
with keywords. If you have started your research several weeks
ahead of the due date, you can take advantage of ordering materials
from other institutions by searching catalogs such as
UVM or
WorldCat. WorldCat is a database of worldwide library catalogs
and provides a link to Interlibrary Loan (ILL).
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Use subject
headings such as: |
Search with
keywords: |
black death
epidemics
diseases and history
plague history
virus diseases europe |
"black death"
plague and "middle ages"
disease and medieval
disease and europe
"black death" and italy |
Step #4: Full text Databases for Magazine, Journal, and
Newspaper Articles
Online electronic databases such
as
Academic Search Premier and
Expanded Academic ASAP provide access to magazine and
journal articles. Remember, these databases cover a broad selection
of publications, some scholarly and some for a more popular
audience.
Academic Search Premier and
Expanded Academic ASAP
Index
magazine and journal articles
Contain full
text for many of the titles
Allow you to narrow and fine tune your searches by using “and” …
example 1:
"black death" and "middle ages"
example 2: plague and medicine and medieval
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Step #5: Scholarly Literature
Search for scholarly articles on your subject
by selecting databases such as JSTOR
and ProjectMuse which
provide access to a number of history journals with full text.
Historical Abstracts: provides citations and abstracts to scholarly
literature
Arts and Humanities Citation Index: provides citations to
scholarly literature
JSTOR: provides full text for a collection of scholarly
periodicals
Project Muse: provides full text for a collection of scholarly
periodicals |
Step #6: Locating Magazine and Journal Articles not
available full text
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Articles may not always be available full text
through the electronic databases.
To locate periodicals and journals located
in the library or accessible through databases:
- Use the SMC online library
catalog to determine whether SMC has a particular magazine or
journal title in the library or available electronically.
The computer "record" for a publication will indicate
whether SMC owns the title and where in the library you may
locate that resource if SMC does provide access.
- The new
Ejournal A-to-Z list will also identify which databases
provide access to specific magazines and journals. Click
on the A-to-Z link and search for the magazine/journal titles
you need to locate.
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Interlibrary Loan Services
| To request books or articles not located at SMC, use
our Interlibrary Loan (ILL) services:
InterLibrary Loan. Books from other institutions travel to our
library through the mail so you will need to start your research
ahead of time to take advantage of ILL for books. Magazine and
journal articles may arrive electronically, by means of the UVM
courier, or through the mail. Starting your research ahead of time
allows you time to take advantage of materials located outside of
SMC. |
Step #7: Accessing Scholarly and
Recommended Web Resources
Comparison and Evaluation of Electronic Resources:
| Evaluation Criteria |
Database Articles |
Web Pages |
| Currency: What's the date of the document? |
Articles always dated in magazines, newspapers, journals. |
Dates often not provided! Look for
publication dates! |
| Authority: Who are/is the author(s)? Are
the authors experienced with and knowledgeable about the subject
matter? |
Authors' names usually provided. |
Authors' names are difficult to locate or not
available. Look for names of authors or publishers or
organizations responsible for the information. |
| Scholarship: What are the authors'
credentials? Is the source scholarly or news or
opinionated? Is there a bibliography which demonstrates
research? |
Authors' credentials sometimes provided.
Source of article always available. Bibliographies
indicate research completed by author(s). |
Authors' credentials are usually unavailable or
difficult to locate on web pages. Anyone can publish
anything on the web--no editorial process for many sites.
Does the web site indicate an educational site, a professional
organization or a governmental agency? |
| Bias: Is the source opinionated?
Factual? |
| Purpose: What is the author's
intent? To persuade? To inform? To report on research? |
| Coverage: Does the article or web page
address your topic fully? Adequately? |
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