http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/sts114.html
Research Guide
for
Science and Technology Studies 114:
Nature and Society
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 Information Literacy Developing
a Research Strategy Finding
Background Information Finding Books
Finding
Articles
Finding
Gateway Networked Resources
Finding
Internet Resources
Evaluating
Sources
Citing Sources
Research and Reference Help Evaluation Form
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Red River oil field near Burkburnett, Texas
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American Environmental Photographs Collection, [AEP-TXS12], Department of Special Collections, University of Chicago Library. American Memory Project American Environmental Photographs, 1891-1936: Images from the University of Chicago Library |
Information Literacy
Information LiteracyInformation Literacy - A set of abilities requiring individuals to "recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information." [American Library Association. Presidential Committee on Information Literacy. Final Report.(Chicago: American Library Association, 1989.) ]
"Information literacy forms the basis for lifelong learning. It is common to all disciplines, to all learning environments, and to all levels of education. It enables learners to master content and extend their investigations, become more self-directed, and assume greater control over their own learning. An information literate individual is able to:
- Determine the extent of information needed
- Access the needed information effectively and efficiently
- Evaluate information and its sources critically
- Incorporate selected information into one’s knowledge base
- Use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose
- Understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding
the use of information, and access and use information ethically
and legally"
(From the Association of College and Research Libraries Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education.)
Developing a Research Strategy
Developing a Research StrategyResearch strategy: a tutorial - an online, hypertext guide to library research that is a part of Library Gateway Help.
- Choosing and developing your topic
- Finding background information
- Finding books
- Finding periodical articles (magazine, newspaper, and journal articles)
- Using the WWW to find Internet resources
- Evaluating the sources that you find
- Citing your sources
- Finding Background Information
Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, Guides and Handbooks
- The materials listed below are a selection of reference resources for finding background information or supplying context for topics you will be covering in this class. Note the call numbers and library locations for these materials and check the reference collections for additional sources of background information.
The authors of articles in reference books often provide bibliographies of selected books and articles for further study.
Selected Print Reference Resources
- The materials listed below are a selection of reference resources for finding background information or supplying context for topics you will be covering in this class. Note the call numbers and library locations for these materials and check the reference collections for additional sources of background information.
- Cayton, Marx Kupiec, ed. Encyclopedia of American Social History. 3 vols. New York: Scribner's, 1992.
(Uris Ref HN 57 .E56 1992; also Olin Ref)
This 3-volume encyclopedia uses the scholarship of historians, sociologists, geographers and anthropologists to present various aspects of American social history, including periods of social change, patterns of everyday life, family history and science, medicine and technology.
- State of the World: A Worldwatch Institute Report on Progress Toward a Sustainable Society. New York: W.W. Norton,
1984- .
(Uris Ref HC 59 B87 S7)
An annual report from the Worldwatch Institute located in Washington D.C. The purpose of the Institute is to serve as a monitor of environmental issues throughout the world. Each edition contains essays on topics such as "the greenhouse effect" on climate, sustainable agriculture, the global family, etc. Includes an index and bibliographic notes.
- Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues. Guilford: Dushkin
(Uris Ref; various subjects with individual call numbers)
Taking Sides is published in a series of volumes concerned with different issues. Uris Library subscribes to those volumes in the series that cover educational, political, social, psychological, bio-ethical and economic issues. Each volume is divided into sections of pros and cons on a specific sub-topic. For example, in the latest edition of the Political Issues volume, sub-topics include such things as "Is America's Military Strength Sufficient?", "Should Obscenity be Protected as Free Speech?", "Do We Need a Draft?" and "Can Lobbying Endanger Democracy?" to name only a few. Each of these sub-topics is then divided into three parts: a summary of the issue, a pro argument and a con argument. Arguments are written by people who are considered authorities on the issue. Finally, a fourth section follows these three as the arguments are summed up and analyzed briefly in a postscript at the end of each chapter. There is a subject, name and title index, but there are no bibliographies.
- World Development Report. New York: Oxford UP, 1978- .
Annual.
(Uris Ref HC 59 .7 .W91; also Olin)
An excellent source of current statistics on urbanization, health, education, and other social and economic indicators for 120 countries produced by the World Bank Group. Each year, a series of essays on development-related topics places the statistical information in a larger context. A commentary and extensive bibliography on the sources of the information presented in each chapter follows the essay section.
Recent years of this report are available online at The World Bank Publications Catalog: Popular Titles section.
See also World Development Indicators. "Formerly the statistical appendix to the World Development Report, these comprehensive data are now available in their own volume and have been enlarged to include more than 80 tables with some 600 indicators. This major new publication provides an expanded view of the world economy for almost 150 countries." (World Bank Publications Catalog entry) Available in both CD-ROM and print formats in Olin and Mann Libraries. (HC59 .W923+ ). Latest volumes and CD in Reference.
Selected Networked Reference Resources
- AccuNet/AP Multimedia Archive. [State College, Pa.] : Accuweather, Inc., c1999-.
(Library Gateway-Networked Resources)
The Photo Archive is an on-line database containing almost a half-million of Associated Press's current and historical images for the last 150 years. It features state, regional and national photos from North America, as well as international photos. All are available moments after they move on the AP's spot picture system. The Photo Archive receives an average of 800 photos a day. About a quarter of the photos are selected for the permanent archive, while the rest are removed after 12 months.
- American Memory: Historical Collections for the National Digital Library Washington, DC : Library of Congress, National Digital Library Program, 1994-.
(Library Gateway-Networked Resources)
Provides information on, and access to, the digitized version of the Library's primary-source collections on American history and culture, including photographs, documents, sound recordings, and motion pictures. Broad topics covered include: agriculture, arts and architecture, history, performing arts, social sciences, etc. Particular collections include: African-American perspectives, Alexander Graham Bell papers, Baseball cards, Civil War photographs, Early motion pictures, and Voices from the Dust Bowl.
- American National Biography
(Library Gateway-Networked Resources)
"The landmark American National Biography offers portraits of more than 17,400 men and women -- from all eras and walks of life -- whose lives have shaped the nation. More than a decade in preparation, the American National Biography is the first biographical resource of this scope to be published in more than sixty years.
Published in 24 volumes in 1999, the American National Biography won instant acclaim as the new authority in American biographies...." (Oxford University's About the ANB webpage)
The online edition is "updated quarterly, with hundreds of new entries each year and revisions of previously published entries to enhance their accuracy and currency. The ANB Online will also feature thousands of illustrations, more than 80,000 hyperlinked cross-references, links to select web sites, and powerful search capabilities."
(Library Gateway-Networked Resource)
The Center for International Earth Science International Network at Columbia University (CIESIN) site contains interactive databases, links to metadata resources including full text articles, information systems, services and programs. It specializes in the access and integration of physical, natural, and socioeconomic information across scientific disciplines.
(Library Gateway-Networked Resources; also Uris Ref H 35 .E23)
CQ Researcher is issued four times a month on subjects of current interest. Divided into three sections, each Researcher discusses the major issues, followed by background and historical developments and concludes with a discussion of the future, as well as a select bibliography of books, articles, reports, and studies. The annual cumulated volume also includes a reminder service with brief information about newsworthy events, and an index listing Researchers (by subject and title) for the past five years. Formerly published under the title, Editorial Research Reports (1946-1991).
There are also many networked reference resources, including online encyclopedias and dictionaries, available in the General Interest and Reference section of the Cornell Library Gateway including the following databases:
- Britannica Online offers the full text of the multivolume paper encyclopedia set, including its numerous bibliographies, maps, and photographs, as well as supplying links to related Web sites for many of the topics covered.
- Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed.
- Roget's Internet thesaurus of English words and phrases
Finding Books
Finding BooksCornell University Library Catalog, Olin Library Card Catalog, E-Books
- About the CU Library Catalog
The Cornell University Library Catalog includes the holdings of all 17 of the libraries on the Ithaca campus, in addition to those of the Geneva Experiment Station. (The Weill Cornell Medical Library, located in New York City, has a separate catalog.) The catalog contains records for books, computer files, government documents, manuscripts and archives, maps, musical scores, periodicals, serials, sound recordings, and visual materials received and cataloged since 1973. There are also records for most pre-1973 items, and for items that are on order or in process.
- CU Library Catalog Help
Functions and features of the new web catalog are explained on these pages.
- Click on the Cornell Library Catalog banner to launch a new catalog session:
When to Check the Card Catalog
Some materials in the humanities and social sciences acquired prior to 1973 have records that have not yet been converted to digital form. Access to these records is through the card catalog located in Olin Library. The card catalog contains cards for authors, titles, and subjects filed in an alphabetical, word-by-word arrangement.
- Understanding Library of Congress Call Numbers
- Library of Congress Classification
The Cornell University Library uses Library of Congress subject headings as the standard for subject searching. Unlike searching by keyword, where any term or wording of a topic can be entered into the computer, subject searching requires you to use the exact wording of an official Library of Congress subject heading in order to retrieve search results.
- Library Catalogs Worldwide Use other online catalogs to find materials not in the CU Library Catalog.
- Interlibrary Loan Services Use ILLiad (InterLibrary Loan Internet Accessible Database) to borrow materials from other libraries.
- Electronic Texts
A collection of eBooks (electronic books) selected by the Cornell University Library.
(For a complete list of netLibrary titles currently available,
do a keyword search for "netlibrary" in the CU Library Catalog.)
Finding Articles
Finding ArticlesPeriodical Indexes, Abstracts, Full Text online access, E-journals
Periodical articles are published "periodically" or sequentially in daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual or irregular intervals. They are found in newspapers, magazines, journals, yearbooks, and other sources.
Periodical indexes and abstracts are Reference resources that identify and locate articles in periodical publications. They are often subject-oriented and list author, title, name of periodical, volume, pages and date of publication in entries called bibliographic citations.
Periodical indexes and abstracts are available in several formats: traditional bound paper volumes, stand alone CD-ROM computer workstations, and as networked resources in the CU Library Gateway.
Finding Periodicals and Periodical Articles
General Subject Indexes and Abstracts
- Lexis Nexis Academic Universe. Dayton, Ohio: Lexis-Nexis, 1997-.
(Library Gateway-Networked Resources)
Lexis-Nexis' Academic Universe provides access to full text resources on topics including current and general news; business and financial information; newspapers; company directories; government and politics; medical and health topics; accounting, auditing, and tax; federal and state laws; legal cases; and regulations. Resources include TV and radio news transcripts.
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Periodical Abstracts (ProQuest). Ann Arbor: Bell & Howell, 1986- .
(Library Gateway-Networked Resources)
Indexes and abstracts approximately 2000 general interest magazines and scholarly journals. It also includes citations and abstracts to selected television and radio programs. Many of the articles found by searching in this database are available in full text electronic formats. Pull down menus allow you to customize your searches by date range, type of resource (newspaper or magazine and journal articles), and by retrieval format (citation, full text, or PDF file which includes graphics). The Database Selection menu allows you to search different sections of the database, including a limit for Peer reviewed articles (scholarly articles).
Specialized Subject Indexes and Abstracts
- Art Abstracts (OCLC Web: 1984- ).
(Library Gateway-Networked Resource, also in print for 1929/32-1995 at Fine Arts Ref Z 5937 .A78).
More than 250 key international, English-language arts publications. Includes periodicals, yearbooks, museum bulletins, competition and award notices, exhibition listings, interviews, film reviews, and more. Covers art, archaeology, art history, city planning, computer graphics, crafts, film, interior design, landscape architecture, photography, television, textiles and video.
- Pollution Abstracts. Bethedsa, MD : Cambridge Scientific, 1981- .
(Library Gateway-Networked Resource, also in print at Mann Library Reference TD180 .P775 Indexes)
Pollution abstracts is a resource for references to environment-related literature on pollution, its sources, and its control. Includes topics on air pollution, environmental quality, noise pollution, pesticides, radiation, solid wastes, water pollution, sewage and waster water treatment, environmental action, etc.
- America, History and Life
- EconLit
- PAIS (Public Affairs Information Service)
- POPLINE
- Sociological Abstracts
- Web of Science: Social Science Citation Index (SSCI)
The Cornell University Library Gateway is the Cornell University Library's homepage on the World Wide Web. The Gateway lists information about the CU Library and provides access to library resources and services.
Networked Resources contains titles, descriptive information, and links to over 2000 networked electronic resources, including periodical indexes, numeric and spatial data files, catalogs, audio-visual materials, and full text documents such as electronic journals and reference sources. There are two main ways to search for resources in your areas of interest: searching and browsing.
Search Tips for Finding Networked 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.
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.
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.
Five Criteria for Evaluating Web Sites offers a table of suggestions.
For additional suggestions specific to Web sites, see Evaluating Web Sites: Criteria and Tools.
How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography
Cornell University Code of Academic Integrity
APA citation style
CU Library Reference locations include Africana, ILR, Mann, Olin, and Uris Libraries at
call number: BF 76.7 .A51x 1994. Also in Hotel Reference at PE 1475 .P82 1994.
MLA citation style
CU Library Reference locations include Olin and Uris Libraries at call number: LB 2369 .G53x
1999.
March 13, 2001
Finding Gateway Networked ResourcesCornell University Library Gateway
Finding Internet ResourcesPortals, Search Engines, and Subject Guides
Selected Web Searching Resources
Web Portals Search Engines Multiple Search Engines Aggregated Sites
Subject Guides Other Web Guides Web Reference
Selected Web Sites
Personalized Electronic Services featuring MyLinks and MyUpdates.
Evaluating Sources
Citing Sources
Publication Manual of the
American Psychological Association (4th ed.)
MLA Handbook for Writers of
Research Papers (5th ed.)
Research and Reference Help
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okuref@cornell.edu
Feedback and Evaluation
Question? Ask a Librarian
Lance Heidig, ljh5@cornell.edu
Reference Services Division, Olin Kroch Uris Libraries
Cornell University Library
URL: http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/sts114.html
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