Unless home is a campus dorm, in order to access many Library resources you must first configure your computer to use one of two simple access methods:
Proxy Server (easiest method) After you make a one-time change in your web browser's settings, allows you to use your CalNet ID to access a licensed resource.
VPN (Virtual Private Network) You install and run the VPN software on your computer. It allows you to log in with a CalNet ID and accesss a licensed resource.
The Library offers improved printing and scanning (copying) options. You'll need your Cal 1 card, and a flash drive (to save scans to a file). Know the details, and you'll be prepared.
The "right" tool for the job
It's hard to find what you need, if you're looking in the "wrong" place. Choose a resource that includes the kinds of materials needed.
Books & articles: You're likely to need the library catalog and an article database for your assignment. Which one, and when, depends on what you already know and the kind of materials sought.
if you already have a citation for an item, or you want to find books on your topic, you can start with the catalog
if you want to isolate articles or essays on a topic, you'll need to use an "article" database
Each database contains a unique aggregate of sources (though, a specific source may appear in several databases). Some databases contain scholarly articles, some magazine literature, some news. Some contain it all. Article databases often include more than articles (chapters in books, etc.)
A few more things you should know about article databases...
- results identify where articles were published (name of publication and any associated volume/issue/date info.) - results do not equal what UCB owns - sometimes results link to article content online - Use UC-eLinks feature when a full text option is not provided
Where is the article?
Many library databases incorporate the UC-eLinks feature. You use it when a result's text is not provided by the database searched. It checks the UC-wide collections to see if the source is available elsewhere...
finding article text from a database (Research 101 tutorial snippet -- see slides 8 & 9)
Background information
Encyclopedias are often a good place to begin when you don't know much about a topic. They provide basic background information -- identify people, events, issues, etc., associated with a topic. Knowing this information will help you search for materials on that topic. Entries often have an associated bibliography that identifies related materials.
For online encyclopedias...
navigate to library electronic resources (reviewed in article databases & other electronic resources section of this tab)
then link to your chosen Subject and use the sidebar menu to access encyclopedias for that subject (many disciplines have linkable subject specific encyclopedias)
Alternatively, link to library electronic resources byType > Encyclopedias and almanacs to see all of these resources
This free encyclopedia is publicly editable and not a scholarly resource. Because anyone can write or add to an entry, the information may be innacurate or untrue. Through the very structure of its creation, it has dependability issues. Yet, it can still be a useful tool, if used wisely.
Like other encyclopedias, it can be helpful in obtaining topical background, and entries often list sources for further reading (which you can then see if UCB has in its collections). Use Wikipedia as a starting point for information you will verify in the course of your research via scholarlysources.
Scholarly or popular ?
Some research databases contain popular as well as scholarly content. Depending on your needs, you may want to limit results to just scholarly content. You can...
choose a resource that only contains it
if using a resource with mixed content, limit to the scholarly material
Properly citing sources is an important part of your research. It allows you to avoid plagiarism and highlights your engagement with related scholarship.
In a nutshell: "Whenever you quote or base your ideas on another person's work, you must document the source you used. Even when you do not quote directly from another work...."
The above extract is taken from the Library's guide to citing sources. The guide gives an overview of this topic and links to formatting rules for the major citation styles.
* Shortcut: many databases allow you to export citations in a given citation style (MLA, APA, etc.) . This functionality is often found under the email options provided by the database. *
This course guide is created as a teaching tool and designed to be read as a unit. Doing so will provide the context for selecting the "right" resource and the techniques for manipulating it -- knowledge and skills that will support immediate and future research needs.
The notes in this tab contain suggestions about how to proceed with research, based on your assignment. These suggestions build upon, and presume familiarity with, the general concepts addressed in the other tabbed sections of this course guide.
A suggested research trajectory
Review information in Choosing a Resource tab. Make sure you understand how the identified resources differ in the types of information and materials they provide.
Review tips for finding historical background or literary analysis, below.
Review the suggested resources, below
Select a resource whose content matches the kind of materials you are seeking to find and whose disciplinary focus maps to your topic (i.e. publications in that field are likely to be writing about your topic).
Or... choose a General (interdisciplinary) database.
Search resources to see what's been written about your topic -- or what issues others are writing about in regards to a topic/author/work that might help you refine your focus
Examine promising results (remember to note the information you'll need if you end up citing them)
Suggested resources
OskiCat
find books on your topic
find periodicals you've identified as having articles on your topic
find encyclopedias for background information
Article databases
identify article and essay content on your topic
identify current research
identify research focused on an aspect of a topic
... By subject:
search for publications from a specific discipline
literature, African American studies, history, etc.
America: History and life (US, Canada) and Historical Abstracts (rest of the world) are recomended databases for historical research
can limit to results that focus on a specific historical time period
can refine search to specific types of publications
can limit by language
use UC-eLinks to locate result text
MLA is a recommended database for literary criticism
can limit by type of material (mouse over icon in results to identify publication type)
can limit by language
use UC-eLinks to locate result text
... General:
interdisciplinary databases
often have popular sources (magazine & news) as well scholarly
Academic Search Complete is one recommended resource
popular and scholarly content (good for popular culture topics, magazine/news content in addition to academic journals)
some results available online
has UC-eLinks feature
Google Scholar is one recommended resource
strength is scholarly journal literature
use UC-eLinks to get full text
but...you must enable UC-eLinks to display in Google Scholar [via Settings gear > Library links]
JSTOR is one recommended database
scholarly journals
full text resource
use advanced search mode (to narrow to specific discipline, and/or limit your search)
Subject specific encyclopedias
backgroundon a topic and/orbiographical information on a person
Link path = Library homepage > Electronic Resources > by Subject link > your subject > use left sidebar menu to link to types of resources in that subject
...by subject > Literature > sidebar menu to encyclopedias >
Literature Resource Center
good for brief biography of literary authors
use Author Search
tabbed results - see biographies [literature criticism tab included for some authors (but has limited content)]
search 2 or 3 terms representing key concepts of your focus
there isn't a search that finds everything: try different combinations of terms, synonyms, related terms
look at the records of relevant results -- do their subjects suggest other search terms
important: subject terms are defined by the Library of Congress, and not always what you would expect. Examine relevant results to discover how your topic, time period, location, people, etc. are defined, subject-wise. Once you know this, you can use that terminology to search for other materials.
to find literary analysis, try adding the term criticism to your search for materials about an author or literary movement (see example, below)
try adding terms for specific types of materials -- encyclopedias, biographies -- to your search, to locate those types of resources (see example, below)
sample keyword searches... hoarding obsessive-compulsive disorder compulsive behavior france and history and class elizabethan and society elizabethan* and custom* octavia butler and criticism kubrick and criticism eugene o'neill and biography
author search (for a person) - finds books by, interviews with, correspondence... [use specified syntax last name, first name]
limit by language - use modify search button
limit by material type - change default search of Entire Collection to seach by type -- Journals/Magazines/Newspapers, Films/Videos...
search too broad ? -- use Modify button for limits
Not already knowldegeable about the time period, social or cultural background? Consider starting with an encyclopedia entry.
Articles tend to focus on specific aspects of a specific topic. If you are looking for a broad overview of a historical time or social situation, books might be the ticket:
their table of contents and indexes will help you isolate the parts of interest to you
OskiCat will help you locate what's at UCB
Review the catalog search tips (particularly the information about discovering assigned subjects terms)
Some article databases contain results for chapters in books and/or books, in addition to articles (America:History & Life and Historical Abstracts are two such examples). Use the UC-eLinks feature to see if the Library has a copy of the result sought.
Extra tips for finding literary analysis
Using an appropriate article database is a must for locating articles or chapters on a topic:
Very specific searches (specific focus about a specific character in a specific work) may not net the desired results. It's always worth trying for a direct bullseye, but sometimes you need to adjust your aim.
Search for analysis about the book, play, etc.,being written about. You'll see what others are focusing on. You may find they use other terms for your focus that can searched to increase your result pool.
Search for analysis about the author of the book, play, etc., being written about. Your focus may be a thematic/technical element that shows up repeatedly in their work. Materials that focus on authorial concerns may include information about your work, or be relevant to your analysis of it.
When using the library catalog, try adding the term criticism to searches for material aboutan author, literary movement, or time period(see catalog search tips section of this tab for examples).
In addition to article databases, if books have been written about your author's work, examining the table of contents and indexes of promising titles may help isolate chapters of relevance.
hint: when an author is well known and been written about for a long time, you may find many article results (from article databases) focus upon their influence on later works of literature. When this is the case, and, if it is not what you want, books can provide a way to get at literary analysis focusing on your author & their work.
