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.
some contain scholarly articles, some magazine articles, some news, some contain it all
article databases often include more than articles (chapters in books, etc.)
a few more points...
results do notequal what UCB owns !
results do identify where articles were published (name of publication and associated volume/issue/date information)
results sometimes link to articles online
use UC-eLinks when full text is not available
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...
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). Use Wikipedia as a starting point for information you will verify in the course of your research via scholarlysources.
Evaluating sources
Research is as credible as the work that goes into it! It's important to analyze the information you find, including where it comes from.
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
many General article databases contain news and magazine content in addition to scholarly materials
(see Choosing a resource tab for details on General article databases)
Citing sources
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. *
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Doe & Moffitt Reference Desks
Since the UCB libraries are structured by subject, you may wish to seek help from the library specializing in your disciplinary focus.
Doe & Moffitt libraries focus on the arts, humanities and social sciences. Since their subject base is so broad, their reference desks provide generalized research help for the library system.
help developing search strategies (for humanities and social sciences topics)
Schedule (view/edit) an appointment online [CalNetID required]
This tab
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 concepts addressed in the Choosing a resource tab of this 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 suggested resources in this tab.
Select a resource that has 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 to see what's been written about your topic -- or what issues others are writing about in regards to a topic 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 already identified as having articles on your topic
Article databases
find articles and essays on a topic
find research focused on an aspect of a topic
find current research
Subject specific databases (for publications from a specific discipline)
determine disciplines relevant to your topic
view databases by subject
review descriptions, paying special attention to Recommended databases
examples...
history > Historical Abstracts education > Eric French Studies > Francis linguistics > MLA International Bibliography literature > MLA International Bibliography sociology > Sociological Abstracts
General databases (for publications from many disciplines)
Academic Search Complete
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
strength is scholarly journal literature
use UC-eLinks to get full text, [ but you must first enable UC-eLinks - via Settings gear > Library links]
JSTOR
scholarly journals
full text resource
use advanced search (to narrow to specific discipline, and set limits)
it may also help to limit results by language (multi-language databases generally offer this limit)
Tips specifically for catalogs
for materials about a topic...
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, people, etc., is defined. Use that terminology to search for other materials on that subject.
for materials about an author or literary movement, try adding the term criticism to your other search terms (see example below)
for specific types of materials, try adding terms for those types (encyclopedias, biographies, etc.) to your other search terms (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 - finds books by, interviews with, correspondence... [use specified syntax last name, first name]
limit by material type - change the default search of Entire Collection to the desired type of material (Journals/Magazines/Newspapers, Films/Videos...)
search too broad ? Use Modify button to add relevant limits.
