http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/engl105women.htm
English 105.6/FGSS 106 Representations of Medieval Women
Develop a Search Strategy
Search strategy is a library term for the process of finding information in a logical, step-by-step manner that will help you find the information you need as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Research Steps:
-
Choose
your topic
Find background information
Find books on your topic
Find periodical articles
Find relevant Web sites
Cite your sources
For additional help with the research process, see the online research tutorial, Library Research, a Hypertext Guide.
Find Background Information
Women
and gender in medieval Europe: an encyclopedia.
Margaret Schaus, editor. New York : Routledge, c2006. (Olin Library
Reference HQ1147.E85 W66 2006 +) Highly recommended.
From women's medicine and the writings of Christine de Pizan to the lives of
market and tradeswomen and the idealization of virginity, gender and social
status dictated all aspects of women's lives during the middle ages. Written
by renowned international scholars. Articles accompanied by xcellent bibliography.
Women in the Middle
Ages: an encyclopedia.
edited by Katharina M. Wilson and Nadia Margolis. Westport, Conn. : Greenwood
Press, c2004. Two volumes. Signed articles with bibliographies. Covers topics
such as marriage as well as individuals. (Olin Library Reference HQ1143
.W643 2004)
Strayer, Joseph R., gen. ed. Dictionary of the Middle Ages. 12 vols. New York: Scribners, 1982-1988. (Uris and Olin Reference D 114 .D55) A major reference source in this area. The articles, written by specialists, cover roughly the years 500-1500 A.D. in the lands of the Latin West, the Slavic world, Asia Minor, the lands of the Caliphate in the East, and the Muslim-Christian areas of North Africa. Some entries are only of definition length (e.g. Avignon), but others are more historical and lengthy (e.g. Byzantine Empire, Constantine I, Arms and Armor). Bibliographies are mostly in English.
Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages. Edited by Andre Vauchez in conjunction with Barrie Dobson and Michael Lapidge; English translation by Adrian Walford. Chicago : Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, c2000. (Olin Library Reference D114 .E53x 2000) Originally published in France as teh Dictionnaire Encyclopedique du Moyen Age in 1997, this is a translated and re-edited version of signed articles by mostly French scholars. Weak on topics relating to the British Isles, coverage on continental European topics is excellent. The Encyclopedia also provides a much-needed update on some topics.
Dahmus, Joseph. Dictionary of Medieval Civilization. New York: Macmillan, 1984. (Uris Reference D117 .D13) This dictionary provides brief descriptive information on all aspects of medieval civilization. Included are historical people, events, places, books, terms, and so on. The time period covered is from the third century A.D. to 1500.
Grabois, Aryeh. The Illustrated
Encyclopedia of Medieval Civilization. New York: Mayflower, 1980. (Uris
Reference D 117 G72) An excellent one volume encyclopedia covering all aspects
of medieval civilization. Most entries are short and succinct, but some longer
ones are included (Feudalism; Arabs), and generally include a short bibliography.
It is also outstanding in its biographical coverage. Includes a select bibliography,
chronological table, and maps. Copiously illustrated.
Lacy, Norris J., ed. The New Arthurian Encyclopedia. New York: Garland, 1991 (Uris Reference DA152.5.A7 N48x 1991) A "comprehensive and critical treatment of Arthurian subjects, artists, and works, both medieval and modern, in all languages. " (Preface) Most entries end with a substantial, selected bibliography. The encyclopedia concludes with a detailed index of authors, artists, themes and motifs,and major historical and literary characters in the volume.
ed. Charles G. Herbermann, et al. The Catholic encyclopedia; an international work of reference on the constitution, doctrine, discipline, and history of the Catholic Church. New York, Appleton [c1907-12].(Olin Reference BX841 .C36) online version: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/ This fifteen volume encyclopedia goes beyond the subject of Catholicism to include science, literature, art and civilization. Particularly good on historical topics and the Middle Ages. Reiussed in the 1960s as The New Catholic Encyclopedia, the original is better on historical topics. Articles include bibiligraphy of primary and secondary sources.
Farmer, David H. Oxford Dictionary of Saints. New York: Oxford UP, 1987. (Uris and Olin Reference BX 4655.2 .F23 1987) A selective alphabetical listing of all English saints, including saints of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Short bibliographic citations follow each entry, and a listing of abbreviations precedes the main section. There is also a Calendar of the Principal Feasts of Saints located at the end of the dictionary.
Helterman, Jeffrey, and Jerome Mitchell. Old and Middle English literature. [Dictionary of Literary Biography, v. 146]. Detroit: Gale Research, 1994. (Uris Reference PS 129 .D55 v.146; shelved on index tables) Volume 146 in the excellent DLB series. Review work and background materials of major authors as well as anonymous epics and other genres.
Medieval England: An Encyclopedia. Ed. Paul E. Szarmach, M. Teresa Tavormina, Joel T. Rosenthal. New York: Garland, 1998. (Olin Reference DA 129 .M43x 1998)
Medieval France: An Encyclopedia. Ed. William W. Kibler, Grover A Zinn. New York: Garland, 1995. (Olin Reference DC 33.2 .M48 1995)
Literary and Biographical Background
European Writers. W.T.H. Jackson, ed. and G. Stade, ed. in chief. 14 vols. New York: Scribner, 1983-1991. (Uris ReferencePN 501 .E89) A collection of lengthy signed biographical and critical articles about major European writers. Each article includes a selected bibliography. Periods covered include the Middle Ages and the Renaissance (vol. 1-2).
Literature Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group, c1999-. (Library Gateway -- Find Databases) Combines biographical, bibliographical, and contextual information on authors and their works (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, history, and journalism).
History
The New Cambridge Medieval History. 8 vols. New York: Macmillan, 1911-1936. (Uris Stacks D 117 .C17 1911; also Olin Reference) Provides exhaustive essays on all aspects of medieval history from the beginnings of the Christian Roman Empire (approximately 274 A.D.) to the close of the Middle Ages (approximately 1450 A.D.). Each chapter has been written by a specialist and each volume concludes with an extensive bibliography. The emphasis is on political and economic history . Other multi-volume sets cover ancient (Uris D57 .C17 1970; also Olin Ref) and modern (Uris D208 .N53 1957; also Olin Ref) history.
Storey, R. L. Chronology of the Medieval World 800 to 1491. New York: David Mackay, 1973. (Olin Reference D118 .S88 1973) This chronology focuses on western Europe, but an attempt has been made to show contemporary developments in other continents as well.
Find Books (and Journals, Videos, etc.)
Cornell University Library Catalog
The Cornell University Library Catalog includes the holdings of all libraries on the Ithaca campus and contains records for books, databases, manuscripts and archives, maps, musical scores, periodicals, serials, sound recordings, and visual materials.
Library
of Congress Classification
Most items in the Cornell University Library catalog are assigned
a call number based on the Library of Congress' alpha-numeric classification
system. Use the call number to locate the items you need.
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.
Borrow
Direct
If we own a book you need but it is checked-out, try requesting another
copy through Borrow Direct -- a rapid book request and delivery system
that enables Cornell faculty, staff, and students to search the combined library
catalogs of Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, University of Pennsylvania,
Princeton and Yale, and directly request expedited delivery of circulating
items.
Return to Table of Contents
Find Periodical/Journal Articles
|
|
International Medieval Bibliography (online).Leeds, England: W.S. Maney, 1967- .Indexes articles, notes, and similar literature on medieval subjects in journals, Festschriften, conference proceedings, and collected essays. Covers all aspects of medieval studies within the date range of 400 to 1500 for the entire continent of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa for the period before the Muslim conquest and parts of those areas subsequently controlled by Christian powers. |
Iter:
Gateway to the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Toronto: Centre for
Reformation and Renaissance Studies, 1996- .(Library Gateway -- Find Databases)
A searchable index to the complete runs of more than 400 scholarly journal
titles pertaining to the Middle Ages and Renaissance (400-1700). An index
to books is under development.
Feminae:
Medieval women and gender index. [Haverford, Pa. : M. Schaus],
1996- .(Library Gateway -- Find Databases) An index to journal articles,
book reviews, and essays in books about women, sexuality, and gender during
the Middle Ages. Books written by a single author are not indexed. The time
period covered is 450 C.E. to 1500 C.E. and the geographic area is Europe,
North Africa, and the Middle East. Subject coverage for gender and sexuality
means that articles on masculinity and male homosexuality are included.
Proquest Research Library. ProQuest Direct Web: 1986- .(Library Gateway -- Find Databases) Available as part of the ProQuest Direct system, Periodical Abstracts indexes and abstracts over 1500 periodicals, covering general interest magazines and scholarly journals in the social sciences, humanities and sciences.
Find Resources on the Web
Selected Web Resources
The Catholic Encyclopedia Online
The Labyrinth: Resources for Medieval Studies
ORB: Online Reference Book for Medieval Studies
Internet Medieval Sourcebook (through ORB) provides a selection of excerpts of sources translated into English full-text online arranged chronologically and geographically. Helpful for getting a sense of the types of medieval sources and for bibliography.
Finding
and using Web Sites
Use search engines (such as the highly rated Google)
or Internet subject guides to find resources or sites on the World Wide Web
on your topic. Search Engines are software 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 Authority! The Internet
is a very democratic tool, in that anyone can write or say virtually anything
they wish to on it. 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. Does the individual or institution have a particular bias or concern
or agenda in presenting their information. How objective is the information?
How accurate or truthful? How authoritative? A useful guide is Evaluating
Web Sites
Evaluate Sources
Evaluating the sources you find is a crucial step in the process of library 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.
Cite Sources
Give credit where credit is due. Cite your sources using one of the styles listed below or another style approved by your instructor. Handouts summarizing MLA style is available at Uris and Olin Reference.
Format the citations in your bibliography using examples from the University of Illinois Writer's Workshop Web site: Modern Language Association (MLA) examples available.
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th ed. New York: MLA. (Uris and Olin Reference Z 253 .M68) This handbook is based on the MLA Style Manualand is intended as an aid for college students writing research papers. Included here is information on selecting a topic, researching the topic, note taking, the writing of footnotes and bibliographies, as well as sample pages of a research paper. Useful for the beginning researcher.
How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography distinguishes annotations from abstracts.
Managing
Information using
RefWorks
RefWorks
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.
For more information and to sign up for an account: http://www.refworks.cornell.edu
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