Identify a topic you are interested in studying (and a research question about this topic). Then, using the techniques discussed in your weeks resources, use one of the databases to find 10 journal articles and/or book chapters that provide background on this topic. Discuss your process for searching for these resources. Which tools did you use and what was the process like for you? How did you decide on these 10? What was your criteria for determining whether they would work for a literature review on your topic. Dont just pick the first ten you find. Provide a list of all ten (these will not count as part of your word count total for your DB post) at the end of your post (please number them).
Library (and Other Resources)
A good place to start – besides everyday observations/conversations/experiences – is your library!
Possible Resources:
Peer reviewed journal article (also called, scholarly journals or refereed journals)
Textbooks (from past or current courses)
Books; book chapters (written by scholarly sources)
Edited volumes; chapters in edited volumes (written by scholarly sources)
Organizational websites (stick with .edu, .org)
Sources to Avoid (see why, below):
Newspapers
Magazines
General websites (yes, even WIKIPEDIA)
Why?
1) The presence of advertising means they are not neutral.
2) Additionally, the lack of peer-review means that they haven’t been rigorously vetted.
3) We don’t know how the information was collected and if it meets ethical and methodological standards.
Baruch’s Newman Library
Below are several avenues to pursue through our library affiliate – Baruch’s Newman Library. They include links to accessing the library’s main home page, how to search resources by topic, browsing a specialized database for journals articles and abstracts, using OneSearch, or signing up for a library tutorial.
Accessing the library:http://guides.newman.baruch.cuny.edu/SPS/
Searching by topic: http://guides.newman.baruch.cuny.edu/index.php?b=s
Browse by database (by subject): http://guides.newman.baruch.cuny.edu/databases
OneSearch (a great tool for searching multiple library resources from one interface): https://onesearch.cuny.edu/primo-explore/search?vid=bb&sortby=rank&lang=en_US
Per the Newman Library’s website, use OneSearch if you:
are looking for a specific title, whether an article or a book,
want a combination of books, articles, ebooks, etc. on a topic, or
are just starting your research.
However, if you:
want specialized information sources within a discipline or academic field, search one of our specialized databases, your subject area’s research guide, or browse through our online journals.
are an undergraduate and want a few articles on a topic for a research paper, you might use Academic Search Complete or another general multi-disciplinary database.
Sign up for a workshop or tutorial: https://www.baruch.cuny.edu/library/students/libraryinstruction.html
Search Keywords Tutorial
Attached Files:
File Search Keywords Tutorial_video_transcript.docx (12.305 KB)
This brief video demonstrates the importance of search terms to move from a broad database search to a narrow (more sspecific) search. When searching for information, related to a specific topic or research term, it is important to first create a list of search terms, synonyms, and related terms.
Search Library Databases Like a Pro
Tips:
Use OR as well as AND, with search terms, to widen or narrow your search.
Use quotation marks to focus your search (a phrasal search)
Use truncation; by placing an asterisk at the end of a base word, you will find all variations of a word (i.e child*)
Check the box(es) to indicate which types of resources you’d prefer (i.e. peer-reviewed journals or book chapters) or by methodology used
Choose the range of dates to search (perhaps you want older or more recent material)
Cited References – listed under most journals will be a hyperlink, “Cited References.” By clicking on the hyperlink, you will see all of the sources cited within that article. You can then peruse those articles to see if any will work for you.
Times Cited in this Database – listed under most journals will be a hyperlink, “Times Cited in this Database.” By clicking on the hyperlink, you will see all of the places where that article was cited. You can then peruse those articles to see if any will work for you.
For most databases, you can email articles (sometimes the full article; sometimes only the abstract) to yourself.
Last Completed Projects
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