Library Research Guide for ASRC 205: African Civilizations and Cultures
(http://www.library.cornell.edu/africana/faculty/asrc205.html)

Compiled by Eric Kofi Acree, Librarian
ea18@cornell.edu/255-5229/Africana Library

Research Process|Reference Resources |Reserve Readings|
Searching Techniques | Electronic Resources|Citing Sources|Helpful Links

Research Process:

• Selected Reference Resources (Reference, Africana Library):

  Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience, AFR Reference DT 14 .A37435 2005 (5 volumes)

  Africa. Ref. DT 3 .A249x 2002 (4 volumes)

  Africa South of the Sahara. Ref. DT 351 A25
  Comprehensive view of countries comprising Sub-Saharan Africa. Includes coverage of international organizations, research bodies, and major agricultural and mineral commodities.

  Black Africa: A Comparative Handbook. 1989. Ref. DT 352.8 M85 1989
  Surveys Sub-Saharan Africa's economic, demographic, and political structure.

  Encyclopedia of African History and Culture. Ref. DT 3 P27x 2001
  Five volume set which chronologically divides Africa's history into five major eras; v. 1. Ancient Africa (prehistory to 500 CE) -- v. 2. African kingdoms (500 to 1500) -- v. 3. From conquest to colonialization (1500 to 1850) -- v. 4. The colonial era (1850-1960) -- v. 5. Independent Africa (1960-present).

  Encyclopedia of Twentieth Century African History. Ref.DT 29 .E53

  Middle East and North Africa. Ref. DS 49 M62
  Comprehensive view of countries comprising the Middle East and North Africa. Includes coverage of international organizations, research bodies, and major agricultural and mineral commodities.
  

To find out if the print resources are available in other Cornell libraries, do a title search in CU Library Catalog.

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Finding Course Reserve Readings:

• Click on http://www.library.cornell.edu/services/reserves.html
• Click Access Course Reserves
• Select by course ASRC 205

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Searching Techniques:

 

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

 

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• Selected Electronic Resources:
• CU Library Catalog (Books)
• Electronic Indexes--Journal/Magazine/Newspapers (Periodicals):
  
  
• Research Library (Journal and Magazine Articles)
• Academic Search Premier (Journal and Magazine Articles)
• JSTOR (Journal Articles)
• PsycINFO (Journal Articles)
• Ethnic Newswatch (Journal, Magazine, Newspaper Articles)
• Factiva (Newspaper Articles)
• LexisNexis Academic (Newspaper Articles)
• MLA Bibliography (Journal Articles)
• PAIS International
• Find Databases

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• Citing Sources:
  
  
  • Remember that citing your sources gives credit to the ideas of others and adds veracity (truth) to your research and readings.
    
  • When to cite:
    
    
    1. If you quote an author, even if you are only borrowing a single key word, you need to tell your reader the origin of the quotation
    
    
    
    2. You also need to cite a source:
       
       1. if you restate an idea, thesis, or opinion stated by an author
       2. if you restate an expert's theory or opinion
       
       
       3. if you use facts that are not common knowledge
       
       
       4. if you need to provide an informational or explanatory note
       
       
       
       (http://www.oslis.k12.or.us/secondary/howto/cited/cited01.html)

  Cornell University Code of Academic Integrity

  Citation@Cornell

  Chicago Manual of Style
  Check reference section of any CU Library 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.)
  Check reference section of any CU Library 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.

  APAStyle.org

  MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (6th ed.)
  Check reference section of any CU Library at call number: Z253 .M68 2003 .

  MLA Citation Style (Gateway Help) MLA Style (MLA's web site)

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• Helpful Links:
  • How to distinguish scholarly from non-scholarly
    http://www.library.cornell.edu/t/help/res_strategy/evaluating/scholar.html
    
  • Types of Periodicals http://www.library.cornell.edu/africana/guides/periodicals.htm
    
  • Critically Analyzing Information Sources
    http://www.library.cornell.edu/t/help/res_strategy/evaluating/analyze.html
    
  • Evaluating Web Resources
    http://www.library.cornell.edu/t/help/res_strategy/evaluating/evaluate.html
    
  • Cornell University Library Guides http://campusgw.library.cornell.edu/services/guides.html