ETH STD 101: Humanities Methods in Ethnic Studies

1.  Read an introduction to the campus libraries for undergraduates.

2.  Set up your computer for off campus access to library databases.

3.  Need a map of the campus libraries?

4.  Each library has its own hours.  Click on the calendar for each library to view a month at a time.

5.  Information about Citing Your Sources and links to guides for frequently used  citation styles here.

6.  Research Guide - introduction to researching Japanese American Internment

The UCB Library sponsors the Library Prize for Undergraduate Research.  Win $1000 (upper division students) or $750 (lower division students) for your research paper!

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.

For printed reference sources, search OskiCat for reference sources, example:

blues encyclopedias
indians of north america bibliography

Note the library location, call number, and whether items are checked out or Library Use only.

Online reference sources:

Library home > Electronic Resources > Electronic Resources by Types A-Z > (encyclopedias, atlases, biographical sources, etc.)

or

Library home > Electronic Resources > Electronic Resources by Subjects A-Z > (music, native american studies, literature, etc.)

To find books, DVDs, maps, sound recordings, manuscripts, and much more - everything except articles - use a library catalog.

OskiCat = most UC Berkeley libraries

MELVYL = all UC campus libraries, including all UC Berkeley libraries

What's the difference?  more details here

For each item make sure you know the name of the physical library, call number, and whether or not it's checked out, library use only, etc.

Call numbers are on the spine of the book; learn how to read them so you can find what you need on the shelves.

Sample searches:

1.  keywords:   robert johnson

     refine your search:    author:  johnson, robert

2.  keywords:  narcocorrido*

* = truncation/wildcard   child* = child, childs, children, childhood, childish, etc.

search for broader terms/use terms you find in official subject headings:

keywords:  drug* corrido*

keywords:  corridos texts

3.    limiting your search:

keywords:  footbind*

modify search

select language:  english

4.     other examples:

blues encyclopedia
blues bibliography
blues biography
blues        (pull down "entire collection" menu to sound records)
blues women
blues influence

Try out these OskiCat features:

• limit your search to a type of material (DVDs) or a library location (Doe Reference); limit by language, year of publication, etc. (click on modify search)
• save items to a list you can e-mail/download/print
  place a recall request onlinerequest items from storage (NRLF)
• view a list of items you have checked out
• send call numbers to your cell phone (see below)
• receive alerts of new items that match your search terms ("preferred search")

Media Resources Center lists of media by subject

Media Resources Center lists of movies (feature films) by Subject

How to Cite Media

You can also find non-print media of all types in OskiCat; search by keywords, author, subject, title, etc. and pull down the "Entire Collection" menu to the type of resource you want (maps, films, etc.)

Search an article database to find citations (title, author, title of journal, date, page numbers) for articles on a particular topic.  The Library gives you access to over 200 article databases covering different disciplines.

1.  Think about which academic disciplines might write about your topic.  Examples:  literature, film, anthropology, history...

2.  Find the appropriate article database by subject (academic discipline or department).  Look for "Recommended" databases.

Library home > Articles > Article Databases by Subject

Sample searches in CSA Illumina Social Sciences

Library home > Articles > Article Databases by Subject > Sociology > Sociological Abstracts:  click instead on CSA Illumina Social Sciences to search multiple social science databases

1.  Example of a search using multiple terms, phrase searching, alternative terms, truncation,etc

african american* or black*
media
representation* or image* or stereotyp*

(add a row)

single parent* or single mother* or single father*

keywords = searches most important parts of the record

an alternative:

african american* or black*
media
representation* or image* or stereotyp*
family or families

* = truncation symbol or wildcard;  child* = child, childs, children, childish, childhood

2.  search using official subject terms ("descriptors")

latino* or mexican american* (keywords)
recidivis*  (descriptor)

Sample Search in MLA Bibliography

Library home > Articles > Article Databases by Subject > Literature > MLA Bibliography

footbind* or foot bind* or bound feet

Sample searches in Ethnic NewsWatch:

Library home > Articles > Article Databases by Subject > Ethnic Studies > Ethnic NewsWatch

spokane (citation and document text )
tribe* or triball* (citation and document text)
indian*  (citation and document text)

ethnic group:  Native People

(note:  ethnic group refers to the selection of the newspaper)

• click on the title to see full record (including abstracts and descriptors)
• to limit by publication type (peer-reviewed journals, conferences, books, etc.) click on the appropriate tab or link
• if necessary,look for other limits (latest update, journal articles only, english only) and more advanced searches
• select records to save to your personalized list; lists may be e-mailed, downloaded, printed

Citation management tools help you manage your research, collect and cite sources, and create bibliographies in a variety of citation styles.  Each one has its strengths and weaknesses, but any are easier than doing it by hand!

Zotero: A free plug-in that works exclusively with the Firefox browser: keeps copies of what you find on the web, permits tagging, notation, full text searching of your library of resources, works with Word, and has a free web backup service.

RefWorks - free for UC Berkeley users. It allows you to create your own database by importing references and using them for footnotes and bibliographies. Use the RefWorks New User Form to sign up. Refworks Help is pretty good.

How to link from the Refworks record to a pdf on your hard drive

Exporting from OskiCat to Refworks

EndNote: may be purchased from UC Berkeley's Software Central.  The Library's Guide to EndNote.  And more Tips from EndNote.

It's always good to double check the formatting -- sometimes the software doesn't get it quite right.

Google Scholar is an easy way to do interdisciplinary research, and with some settings changes can become even more useful.  You may need a Google account to use some of these features.

• Set up Google Scholar to display links to full text of articles that Berkeley subscribes to:

Open Scholar.  Click on scholar preferences [upper right corner]. Under Library Links, enter the word Berkeley.  Choose  UC Berkeley eLinks and Open WorldCat - Library Search and Save your preferences.  UC e-links will now appear in Google Scholar search results.

• Set up a Google Scholar Alert to be automatically notified when new articles are added to Google on topics of interest: 

Do your search in Google Scholar. Look in the green toolbar for the envelope icon, and click it.  New items will be sent to your email account as they are found by Google.

• Ever wanted to trace an article’s impact? Google now permits searching within citing articles.

Do a Google Scholar search. Click on the "Cited by" link under a citation and select the "Search within articles citing..." checkbox.

Javascript required to chat

Research Advisory Service for Cal Undergraduates

Book a 30-minute appointment with a librarian who will help refine and focus research inquiries, identify useful online and print sources, and develop search strategies for humanities and social sciences topics (examples of research topics).

Schedule, view, edit or cancel your appointment online (CalNetID required)

This service is for Cal undergraduates only. Graduate students and faculty should contact the library liaison to their department or program for specialized reference consultations.

Please take a few minutes to give us some feedback about the library workshop and this course page!  Anonymously, of course.

Other ways to get help:  in person, by e-mail, etc.

Contact:    John Berry - Native American Studies Librarian

Lillian Castillo-Speed - Chicano Studies Librarian

                  Wei Chi Poon - Asian American Studies Librarian

                  Corliss Lee - Ethnic Studies Liaison, Doe and Moffitt Libraries

• United Farm Workers - Research Guide
• Library Subject Guides
• Library Course Guides