English 102 - College Writing and Research
Spring
2008
Library Instruction Program - Research
and Instructional Support
For more information about this topic contact Mary
Boulanger
Table of Contents
- Tips and Strategies for Research
- Library Research Assistance
- Finding Resources at the UWM Libraries
- Library catalog [PantherCat]
- Indexes and Databases
- Media, Violence and Fantasy Related Internet Resources
- Using the Web Wisely
Tips and Strategies for Research
Constructing a Search
- Write down research question and underline key concepts
- Think of synonyms and alternate terms for each of the main concepts
- Think broader, or narrower, depending on results of initial searches
- Consult a thesaurus or index, if available, to narrow and focus the search
For example: What ethical questions are raised by embryonic stem cell research?
Sample searches: embryo and stem cell and ethics embryonic stem cells and morality
Which to use: Catalog or Database?
- Use a library catalog to locate books and documents in a library's collections. It will also say if the library owns specific journals. PantherCat, MadCat, and MarqCat are examples of library catalogs
- A database, on the other hand, indexes the journals and is used to point to specific articles within the journals, articles on a topic or by a particular author. The full text of some, but not all, of these articles may be available online. Academic Search, ERIC and Web of Science are databases.
- Catalogs and databases do different things but work hand in hand to provide resources. Use one or more databases to find references to articles, then a library catalog to see if a library owns the journal where the article is published.
- Find It! is a helpful tool for locating electronic or print copies of articles available at the UWM LIbraries.
Scholarly vs. popular publications
There are many types of periodicals; all have their uses. Here are a few.All of these types can be in print or electronic formats. For more information, check the Libraries' Searchpath tutorial section on Popular Magazines or Scholarly Journals.
- scholarly journals - usually written by subject experts, often peer reviewed, few photos
- popular magazines - geared towards the general public, many photos and ads
- trade publications - often product or industry oriented
- newspapers - often published daily, has items of local, current interest
Library Research Assistance
Proxy Server
This link allows UWM students, faculty, and staff with Internet access to connect to most of the Libraries' subscription databases and electronic journals from home (a few titles are licensed for on-campus or in-library use only).
AskaLibrarian
An email and chat service, AskaLibrarian provides a forum for questions at all hours. Check this web page for the various formats.
Electronic Reserve
E-reserve materials generally consist of scanned journal articles, book chapters, lecture notes, and sample exams. These printable materials may be accessed from off-campus computers using the proxy server [see above].
InterLibrary Loan
When materials cannot be found at the UWM Libraries, use this link to pursue the many options available.
Research Consultation
This is an in-depth advisory service about specific library research processes offered by librarians of the RIS Department to the students, staff and faculty of UWM. Use this link to find out more or to request an appointment.
Finding Resources at the UWM Libraries
The Library Catalog
PantherCat
Truncation symbol is ? For example work? searches work, works, working, worked...
Types of searches include, title, author, keyword (and, or not). Use this guide for more tips in searching PantherCat.
Sample Search [using Keywords (and, or, not)]: "fairy tales" and violen?
Selected Indexes and Databases
On the UWM Libraries home page under "Find Articles", the Resources A-Z link leads to an alphabetical list of databases. Some index journals, magazines and newspapers from various subject disciplines. Others are collections containing the electronic full text of such journals. The ones listed below are good sources for information on media and violence. They each have online guides.
Media, Violence and Fantasy Related Internet Resources
There are many places to get information on the Internet. Deciding what is reliable, however, is a critical distinction in the health fields. The following resources offer a sampling of critiqued web sites.Program for the Study of Entertainment Media and Health
The Foundation conducts research concerning the relationship between entertainment media and health, with a special focus on children and media. The purpose of the research is to provide data to help inform policymakers, journalists, the research community, healthcare providers, the media industry, and the public.National Institute on Media and the Family
The National Institute on Media and the Family is an independent, nonpartisan, nonsectarian, and nonprofit organization that is based on research, education, and advocacy.Federal Trade Commission Report on Marketing Violent Entertainment to Children
The report finds that while the entertainment industry has taken steps to identify content that may not be appropriate for children, the companies in those industries still routinely target children under 17 in their marketing of products their own ratings systems deem inappropriate or warrant parental caution due to violent content.Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Database
An index to over 76,000 historical and critical books, articles and news reports about fantasy, science fiction and horror compiled by Hal W. Hall, housed at Texas A&M University.
Using the Web Wisely
Though not specifically related to a particular topic, the first three resources are Subject Directories to web sites evaluated by people (as opposed to "selected" by a search engines's web crawler). The other sites listed give some general guidelines to evaluating and citing web sites.
Librarians' Index to the Internet
Search by keyword or look through the directory - keyword can lead to directory sections to search further
Internet Scout Report
Subject directory maintained by UW Madison
Infomine - Scholarly Index Resource Collections
Contains over 20,000 well-selected and described links to scholarly resources on the Internet. Searchable.
How to evaluate and cite Web SitesEvaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply and Questions to Ask (from University of California Berkeley Library)
Citing Web sites (from Bedford / St. Martin's)
prepared for English 102, C Klingbiel, February 25, 2008