Anthropology 147: BORDERLANDS
http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/anthr147.html

u.s. canadian border
The U.S.-Canadian border is marked by a cleared line through a forest that continues into the mountains near Sumas, Wash., and Abbotsford, British Columbia in Canada, Feb. 1, 2005, viewed from the air. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) From Accunet/AP Photo Archive

Developing a Search Strategy

Resources for researching Cornell

Finding Books

Finding Articles

Internet Resources

Evaluating Sources

Citing Sources

Research and Reference Help

Developing a Search Strategy

Search strategy is 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:

  1. Choose your topic
  2. Find background information
  3. Find books on your topic
  4. Find periodical articles
  5. Find networked resources or relevant Web sites
  6. Evaluate your sources
  7. Cite your sources

For more information about library research strategy and using library resources, go to Research Strategy: a tutorial.


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Finding Background Information
Reference Sources

Encyclopedia of International Boundaries / editor, Gideon Biget.
New York : Facts on File, c1995.
An international group of geographers compiled this first comprehensive reference source on the land boundaries of 200 contemporary independent states and 35 dependencies. The contributors are from academic institutions in Israel, the U.S., Croatia, and the International Boundaries Research Unit, University of Durham, England.
Location: Olin Library Maps (Non-Circulating)
Call Number: JX4111 .E56 1995

Countries and their cultures / Melvin Ember and Carol R.Ember, editors.
New York : Macmillan Reference USA, c2001.
Location: Uris Library Reference (Non-Circulating)
Call Number: GN307 .C68x 2001

Gale virtual reference library
Provides the full text of many encyclopedias, handbooks, dictionaries, and directories.

Other General Interest and Reference:

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Finding Books

Cornell Library Catalog

The CU Library Catalog

  • Includes the holdings of 19 Cornell University libraries (over 7 million items)
  • Contains records for books, DVD's/videos, sound recordings, magazines/newspapers/journals, computer files, government documents, manuscripts and archives, maps, musical scores, and more
  • For help searching the library catalog, see a librarian or go to the catalog's help pages

If we do not have a BOOK in our holdings, or if the book you need is already checked out:

Borrow Direct
Click on the link above, connect to Borrow Direct, search for the book and if it's available from another Ivy League university, we will have it shipped to Cornell. Borrowing period is one month. Books arrive in 3-4 business days. (This service is for BOOKS only).

If we don't own an item that you need (any item -- journal article, DVD, dissertation, etc.):

Interlibrary Loan Services
If Cornell Library does not have an item you need, Use ILLiad (InterLibrary Loan Internet Accessible Database) to request that we borrow materials from other libraries. Loan period is usually one month. Items can arrive in as little as a few days to a couple of weeks.

Tip: The word BOUNDARIES is more commonly used than the word borders in the Library Catalog.

Finding Articles

Two approaches to finding articles:

  1. Search a specific database that covers the area you are researching
  2. Search a number of databases at the same time using Find it!

1. Search a Specific Database

General Databases

Subject Specific Databases

Area Studies Databases

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Internet Resources

Use web portals, search engines, or Internet subject guides to find resources or sites on the World Wide Web on your topic. Search Engines are software programs that allow you to search the contents of web pages and Subject Guides are web pages that use menus and lists to sort and classify web sites.

Question and evaluate the information that you find on web pages. As you would do with books and journal articles, look to see who is responsible for producing the web page or site that you are accessing. How objective is the information? How accurate or truthful? How authoritative? Go to the Evaluating Sources section of this page for more information on how to assess the web sites you have accessed.
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Evaluating Sources

Evaluating the sources you find is a crucial step in the process of scholarly research. The questions you ask about books, periodical articles, or multimedia sources are similar whether you're looking at a citation to the item or have the item in hand.

How to Critically Analyze Information Sources
Lists some of the critical questions you should ask when you consider the appropriateness of a particular book, article, media resource, or Web site for your research.

Distinguishing Scholarly from Non-Scholarly Periodicals: A Checklist of Criteria
Shows how to evaluate periodicals by looking at their format, intended audience, and appearance.

Evaluating Web Resources
Lists ways to analyze the Web sites you find.

Evaluating Web Sites: Criteria and Tools
See this page for additional suggestions specific to Web sites.

Five Criteria for Evaluating Web Sites
Offers a table of suggestions.



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Citing Sources


Managing Information using Bibliographic/Citation SoftwareRefWorks is a web-based program that allows you to easily collect, manage, and organize bibliographic references by interfacing with databases. RefWorks also interfaces directly with Word, making it easy to import references and incorporate them into your writing, properly formatted according to the style of your choice. Click here for more information about RefWorks and to sign up for an account. RefWorks workshops are offered at Uris Library, Mann Library and ILR Library (ILR students only).
Cornell University Code of Academic Integrity


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Research and Reference Help

 

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September 15, 2007
Maureen Morris
Reference Librarian
Olin and Uris Libraries, Cornell University, Ithaca NY 14853
PSA: Public Services and Assessment
Information and reference: 607-255-4144, okuref@cornell.edu
Circulation: (Olin) 607-255-4245, (Uris) 607-255-3537, olincirc@cornell.edu