ASRC 1813 : Pan-African Freedom Fighters
(http://www.library.cornell.edu/africana/faculty/asrc1813.html)
Compiled by Eric Kofi Acree,
Librarian
ea18@cornell.edu/255-5229/Africana
Library
- Developing a Search Strategy
- Finding Background Information
- Searching Techniques
- Finding Books
- Finding Articles
- Citing Sources
Developing
a Search Strategy:
Search strategy is a library term for the process of finding information
in a logical, step-by-step manner. Using a search strategy insures that
you will find the information and materials you need as quickly and
efficiently as possible.
Research Steps:
- Choose your topic
- Find background information
- Find books on your topic
- Find periodical articles
- Using WWW to Find Internet Resources
- Evaluate your sources
- Cite your sources
Tips to consider when doing research:
- Have a clear understanding of the assignment. What is the length of the paper? What are you suppose to report?
- Check the bibliography and indexes of books related to your topic.
- Use more than one source.
- When searching databases be flexible with the use of search terms.
- To learn the best way to use a particular database check out that database help page. There is usually some type of variation for each database.
Finding Background Information (Reference Books):
African American Encyclopedia,
Africana Library Reference E 185 .A255
This six volume set features entries on people, organizations, landmarks,
professions, entertainment, military activity, religion, family life,
politics, court cases, cultural movements, and other facets of life
that have unique expression among African Americans.
Contemporary Black Biography,
Africana Library Reference DT 18 .C76
This reference series provides biographical profiles of important persons
of African heritage. Whether they are personalities from the news, selected
20th-century notables, or individuals who are not yet household names,
these are the men and women who are changing today's world and shaping
the world of tomorrow.
Encyclopedia of African-American Culture
& History Africana Library Reference E 185 E54 1996 (Also on
CD-ROM)
This multi-volume set presents the lives and significance of African
Americans in the broadest way possible. This encyclopedia has biographical
entries, as well as entries dealing with events, historical eras, legal
cases, areas of cultural achievement (music, architecture, the visual
arts), professions, sports, and places.
Guides to Biographical Resources
This guide contains listing of biographical resources found the the Africana Library.
Whether you are clicking your way across the Web, searching for resources in the Cornell Library Catalog, or looking for scholarly articles in specialized subject databases, being aware of a few simple techniques can improve the effectiveness of your searches.
Do you know how to use the following search techniques?
- keywords vs. phrase searching
- boolean operators: AND, OR, NOT (for combining search terms)
- truncation and wildcard symbols (for finding singular, plural, and other keyword variations)
- field searching (for narrowing a search to specific parts of a record)
- controlled vocabulary (subject headings)
See the following sites for details on how to refine
and perfect your search results:
Introduction
to Database Searching Skills
Search
Strategies
Finding Books:
Cornell Library Online Catalog
CU Library Gateway: Find Databases
Distinguishing Scholarly From Non-Scholarly Periodicals: A Checklist of Criteria
Academic Search Premier Provides citations and abstracts for articles from over 4,140 journals, and includes full text from over 3,170 journals.
Black Studies
Database or The Kaiser Index to Black Resources: 1948-1986,
Africana Library Reference Z 1361 N39 K34X1992
CQ
Researcher or Congressional Quarterly, 1991- . Uris Library
Referebce H35 .E23
CQ Researcher provides articles on current and controversial world issues.
Biography and Genealogy Master Index
Give credit where credit is due.
By properly citing the sources you use in your research projects you are both identifying the resources that you used to complete your work and you are formally acknowledging the authors or creators of those resources. This allows others to find what you have found and to verify your research.
Cornell University Code of Academic Integrity
Chicago Manual of Style
CU Reference locations include Olin, Uris, ILR, and Fine Arts Libraries
at call number: Z253 .U69 2003
Chicago Manual of Style Form Guide (Ohio State University)
The Chicago Manual of Style FAQ
Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association (5th ed.)
CU Library Reference locations include Africana, Hotel, Management,
Olin, and Uris Libraries at call number:
BF 76.7 .P83x 2001x. Also in ILR and Mann Reference at BF 76.7 .A51
2001.
APA citation style (Gateway Help)
APA Reference Examples for Electronic Source Materials Excerpted from the new 5th edition of the Publication Manual.
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
(6th ed.)
CU Library Reference locations include Olin and Uris Libraries at call
number: Z253 .M68 2003 .
MLA Citation Style (Gateway Help)
MLA Style (MLA's web site)
Library Instruction Evaluation Form
