SPECPRO 0: Library Research 101: International Students

Unsure how to start a paper or research project? Think maybe you could stand to brush up on search strategies?

If this sounds familiar, Library Workshop: Research 101 has you covered. This interactive tutorial explores six stages of the research process. You can view it from start to finish, or focus on specific sections as needed:

1: Begin Your Research

Starting strategies, from choosing a topic to finding the right keywords.

The following titles are just examples of sources for background information on The Sixties and protest movements. Click on the titles to view the OskiCat record, including library location, call number and availability.

For more sources, search Oskicat by subject, including specific ethnic groups (ex:  indians of north america encyclopedias, mexican americans dictionaries), browse the reference collections of Doe Library (2nd floor) or the Ethnic Studies Library, or ask for assistance. 

The Sixties in America (1999)

Day by Day, the Sixties (1983)

The 1960s Cultural Revolution (2000)

The 1960s:  an annotated bibliography of social and political movements in the United States (1992)

Civil Rights in the United States (2000)

The Encyclopedia of Civil Rights in America (1998)

The Civil Rights Movement (1998)

Historical Dictionary of the Civil Rights Movement (1997)

Encyclopedia of the Mexican American civil rights movement (2000)

Encyclopedia of American Indian civil rights (1997)

Historical dictionary of Native American movements (2008)

Encyclopedia of African American civil rights... (1992)

Developing appropriate keywords/search terms is an essential part of research.  First, break your topic into components.  Develop a list of synonyms and alternative terminology for each component.  Think about broader and narrower concepts and word variants.  What words can you exclude?

Topic: Image of African American Women in Advertising

image(s) or stereotyp(es)(ing) or depict(ion) or portray(al)...

african american(s) or black(s) or minorit(y)(ies)

women or gender

advertis(e)(ing) or media

Remember to be creative with your terminology!  More examples:

people of color and environmental activism*
environmental justice
environmental justice and hazardous waste*
environmental equity
environmental discrimination
environmental racism
environmental injustice

Example:

Topic:  Image of African American women in advertising

potentially relevant disciplines:

African American Studies
Gender and Women's Studies
Ethnic Studies
Media Studies
Psychology
Sociology
Business
etc.