WRITING 205
Research Guide
PREJUDICE AND IDENTITY
http://library.syr.edu/instruction/class/prejudice.html
COURSE INSTRUCTOR Lawrie Chase March 2008 |
LIBRARIAN Temporary Reference/Instruction Librarian (315) 443-6233 LIBRARY CONTACTS |
Outcomes --
-
Select databases for your topic
- Understand database features; interpret citations and access articles in full-text and print
- How to get research help
- Spend time working on your topics
Additional resources:
What are periodicals? (aka journals, serials, magazines, newspapers)
- Items published on a regular basis, e.g., daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc.
- Contents may be online, in print form or both
Types of Periodicals
- Newspaper
- Popular magazine
- Trade journal
- Journal of opinion
- Scholarly journal
Newspapers and popular magazines - conversation between journalists and the public
Trade journals - conversations between practitioners, or professionals, in a field
Journal of opinion - conversations between people sharing certain viewpoints
Scholarly journals - conversations between researchers in a field
How to tell which is which?
Some clues:
- Publication title
- Publisher
- Publishing information in the front matter of a print copy; "about us" information on website
- Tone of text
- Citations
- Graphics
- Advertisements
It is often easier to tell from the print than the online version when accessing articles through the databases. Most of the time you only can see the articles, but not the "front matter" or other clues. You may be able to find information by going directly to the journal's website (though you might not be able to access the articles!). Look for things like "About Us" or "Media Kit." Here is an example:
See the "About TNR" link.
Also, you can look up the journal title in: Ulrich's Periodicals Directory
This is a database of information about periodical publications, including a field called "Document type."
For more information see Finding Periodicals / Periodical Comparison Chart.
Selecting Databases
From the Library home page, click Find Articles to access the Databases Main Menu.
There are a couple of ways to find a database --
By Name -- Type the database name in the search box in the left frame of the Databases Main Menu, or navigate to it using the alphabet box.
By Subject -- Use the Databases Main Menu.
By Content type -- Use the link in the upper left frame of the Databases Main Menu.
Multidisciplinary "mega-databases" are listed under Research Starting Points. These databases index a huge amount of resources across many disciplines. We'll look at Proquest Research Library.
Proquest Research Library
Abstracts, indexing, and full text articles from popular, business, and academic publications, and current coverage of articles from the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Covers the arts, business, children, education, health, humanities, international, law, military, multicultural, psychology, sciences, social sciences and women's interests.
Useful resources for your topics will be found in many different subject databases depending on the topic you have chosen, but here are some likely ones:
Full-text articles from newspapers and periodicals published by the ethnic and minority press in America.
Index with abstracts in sociology, social work, aging, gerontology, child and family studies, marriage and family therapy and other social sciences. Coverage 1983 to the present (abstracts from January 1994).
Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts : ASSIA
Index and abstracts to articles in subjects of health, social services, psychology, sociology, economics, politics, race relations and education.
An index with abstracts and some full text of newspapers, magazines, and journals of the alternative and independent press. coverage is 1970 to present.
Index of alternative, radical, and left periodicals, newspapers, and magazines. It is interdisciplinary and international in scope. Other features include selected abstracts, journal record information, and hot links to publisher Web sites. Full text coverage from 1991 - present.
Alternative Press Index Archive
Archive for 1969-1990 of Alternative Press Index. Index with some abstracts of alternative, radical and left periodicals, newspapers and magazines.
Current information in the area of race relations. Issues covered include discrimination, education, employment, health, politics, law and legislation. 2000 to the present.
Index with abstracts to literature regarding gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues.
An encyclopedia addressing public policy issues. Covers legislative action in areas ranging from social and teen issues to environment, health and nutrition, education, international affairs, economics and science and technology. Each report focuses on a single topic and features concise background discussion and chronologies, overviews of the current situation, pro and con commentary, online links to relevant organizations, and a bibliography of related resources. Covers 1923-present.
A project of the American Anthropologial Association. Check out this website if your topic has to do with racial prejudice. There are timelines, and sections on History, Human Variation, Lived Experience, and Resources (including references to articles and other readings).
Index to collections of letters, diaries, oral histories, and other personal narratives available freely on the web and from Alexander Street Press. Includes full-text content when available.
Photographs and audio clips from the Associated Press News Services and their archive. Coverage is from the 1850s to the present, although there are only a few hundred photos dating before 1900.
Searchable archive of classic print advertising. Search by category or year back to 1940.
Archive of television news. The collection holds more than 30,000 individual network evening news broadcasts from the major U.S. national broadcast networks: ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN, and more than 9,000 hours of special news-related programming including ABC's Nightline since 1989. Note: Users must register before searching; registration form available on the "TV- NewsSearch" page.
- Good for in-depth help on specific topics
- Phone, email, or make an appointment
In person at the Reference Desk
- Good for getting started; how to find, how to use resources
- Reference desk hours
Contact the Reference staff by phone, email, or IM
Evaluate the authority, currency, validity/accuracy, audience, and point of view of information that you find. Examining each of these criteria will give you an idea of not only the reliability of the information, but also if the information is appropriate for your research. See How do I Evaluate My Sources? for more information.
What kinds of information sources are are appropriate for your research?
Primary sources are contemporary accounts of events from those who experienced or witnessed them.
- Information in original form
- Used often in history, science
Examples of Primary Sources
- Diaries, memoirs, blogs
- Interviews
- Letters, e-mails
- Original documents (e.g., birth certificate)
- Patents
- Photographs, paintings
- Proceedings of meetings, conferences and symposia
- Survey research (market surveys, public opinion polls)
- Magazine or newspaper articles (from the time period you are writing about)
- Speeches
- Audio/video recordings
Secondary Sources
- Removed from original source, repackaged
- Restatement, examination, interpretation of primary sources
Examples of Secondary Sources
- Biographies
- Commentaries
- Dissertations
- Indexes, abstracts, bibliographies (used to locate primary & secondary sources)
- Journal articles
- Monographs (books)
SUMMIT Search tips for finding primary sources
You can use search terms for some of the types of primary documents combined with subject words to find primary sources in SUMMIT.
Examples:
Keywords combined: "personal narratives" AND "prejudice"
Keywords combined: interviews AND prejudice
Keywords combined: "speeches, addresses, etc." AND women
OR Subject heading: speeches, addresses, etc. (and then browse through the list of headings and subheadings. Select a heading to see the items in the catalog on that subject.
For additional information, check out:
- How to Distinguish between Primary and Secondary Sources . University of California, Santa Cruz
- The Learning Page. The Library of Congress
