Books OR Articles?
Library Catalog vs. Research Databases
Search for Articles in Research Databases
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button to find articles in full-text. For additional information on how to use FindIt go here: http://lib.colostate.edu/sfx/about.html
Recommended Databases include:
Please ask if you aren't finding what you're looking for!
There are many other databases available.
Finding Articles - Database Search Tips
Databases are different than Google!
- To search effectively, break down your topic to keywords.
- Combine your keywords with connecting words - AND, OR, NOT (Quick Tutorial on Boolean Logic)
- Start broad --> go narrow
- Use a Wildcard symbol (*) after the root of a word to bring in variations of a word - psych* (psychology, psychological, psychic...)
Search term tips
- Try a variety of terms
- African American*, Black*, Afro-American*, race
- Combine with a broader topic
- politic*, education, media, society, religion, econom*
- Remember to use connecting words:
- African American* AND media
- Black* AND higher AND education
- Short 3-5 minute online tutorials on aspects of conducting research
Selected books from CSU Library
General Resources:
African American Almanac (2008) - Historical and current information on African-American history, society, and culture. Browse the eTable of Contents or browse or search the eBook Index for relevant information on your topics.
Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History (2006) - 5 volume work covering the African-American experience from 1619-present. Browse the eTable of Contents or browse or search the eBook Index for relevant information on your topics.
Africana: the encyclopedia of the African and African American experience (2005) - 5 volume work on African and African-American history and culture. Extends beyond the United States to other countries in the Western Hemisphere. Morgan Reference: DT14 .A37435 2005
Education Topic Resources:
Encyclopedia of African-American Educaton (1996) - Morgan Reference South: LC2717 .E53 1996
Encyclopedia of Education (2002) - 8 volume work on all aspects of education. Browse the eTable of Contents or browse or search the eBook Index for relevant information on your topics.
Politics Topic Resources:
Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. History: Government and Politics (2008) - Emphasis on how government and politics effects, and is affected by, social change. Browse the eTable of Contents or browse or search the eBook Index for relevant information on your topics.
Encyclopedia of the American Presidency (2004) - Morgan Reference South: JK511 .G45 2004
The Presidency A to Z (2003) - Morgan Reference: JK511 .P775 2003
Rap and Hip Hop Culture Topic:
Encyclopedia of Rap and Hip-Hop Culture (2006) - Morgan Reference: ML102.R27 B96 2006
But is it scholarly?
Popular magazines vs. trade magazines
vs. scholarly journals
by Naomi Lederer (originally found http://lib.colostate.edu/howto/poplr.html)
The following is a list of General Criteria that can be used to distinguish between popular magazines, trade magazines, and scholarly journals. Some journals do not meet all the criteria in one category. For example, Scientific American, which has glossy pages and color pictures, contains both scholarly articles as well as those geared to a more general audience. Accountability and content of the specific article are the key criteria used to determine if an article is scholarly
| CRITERIA | POPULAR MAGAZINES | TRADE MAGAZINES | SCHOLARLY JOURNALS |
| Appearance |
eye-catching cover
glossy paper pictures and illustrations in color each issue starts with page 1 |
cover depicts industrial setting
glossy paper pictures and illustrations in color each issue starts with page 1 |
plain cover
plain paper black/white graphics and illustrations pages consecutive throughout each volume |
| Audience To identify (over 150,000 titles) see PubList.com |
nonprofessionals | members of a specific business, industry or organization | researchers and professionals |
|
Content
|
personalities, news, and general interest articles
articles written by staff, may be unsigned |
industry trends, new products or techniques, and organizational news
articles written by staff or contributing authors |
research projects, methodology, and theory
articles written by contributing authors |
| Accountability | editorial review
no bibliographies |
editorial review
may have short bibliographies |
peer review/refereed
has bibliographies |
| Advertisements | heavy | moderate
all or most are trade related |
few or none |
| Examples |
Gourmet New York Psychology Today |
Chilton's Food Engineering Public Management APA Monitor Advertising Age |
Journal of Food Science Urban Studies Journal of Applied Psychology Journal of Extension |
"Peer review" refers to the policy of having experts in the field examine journal articles before acceptance for publication. Peer review insures that the research described in a journal's articles is sound and of high quality. Sometimes the term "refereed" is used instead of peer review. Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory, located behind the Information Desk, has a list of refereed journals. However, not all scholarly journals are on this list. For unlisted journals, examine the editorial policy, instructions to authors, and/or the editorial board list of members to determine if the editorial boards and/or consultants are experts in the field.
No matter what type of journal an article comes from, be sure to evaluate it.
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