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History 40C American Society in the 20th Century Spring Quarter 2004 'Social Progress' Report: Library Research Guide

Librarian Contacts:

Joan Ariel  Research Librarian for History  386 Main Library  824-4970  jariel@uci.edu

Kay Collins  U.S. Government Information Librarian  108 Main Library  824-7290  kcollins@uci.edu

Note: This guide is also available from Libraries web site / How to Use the Library / Library Instruction for UCI Classes

This guide provides an overview of basic research resources and strategies for identifying and locating sources for the 'Social Progress' Paper assignment.   It highlights those resources you may find most useful for this assignment.  However:

When in doubt, go to:

UCI Libraries Website

Library Research Skills Tutorial

Other Useful Resources:

• How to Use the Library: ibrary Instruction for UCI Classes (including link to this website for History 40C)
•  UCI Subject Guides:    History
• Connecting from Home: Information and Instructions

The guide covers the following areas:

1. Before You Begin: Analyze Your Topic
2. Search Types and Strategies
3. Finding Articles: Periodical Indexing/Abstracting Services
4.1. Current Information
4.2. Historical Perspectives

The following steps may prove helpful in analyzing your topic and in constructing a useful search strategy.  Note: It is often very helpful to make an actual list of these elements.

1. Articulate your topic:  Ask five key questions about your topic: what? who? when? where? why?
2. Identify and list key terminology: words, phrases, synonyms, names, etc. for your topic and possible sub-topics within it. Using carefully chosen key words maximizes your search recall and precision and allows you to combine terms in useful ways
3. Articulate your thesis.  What is the argument you need to make in order to support your assessment of 'social progress' related to your book/topic.

In doing library-based research, there are three key approaches to identifying information and materials on a subject or topic: known item; keyword; and subject heading.  All are based on the "bibliographic record" for the book, article, or other item.

1.  Known Item
A book you already have can provide leads to additional research sources:

• Use the bibliography and footnotes to identify other materials
• Search the title or author in ANTPAC, then link from the subject headings in the "bibliographic record" to expand your retrieval to related items.

• Books: title, series title, and/or subject heading words and sometimes author and notes fields.
• Articles: article title, subject heading, abstract if available.
• Keyword is the most flexible approach which usually produces the largest retrieval.

• In some databases (ANTPAC included), you must use a single word, an exact phrase, or and between multiple words.

Example: meatpacking and work*

• In other databases (MELVYL included), the database automatically inserts an implicit and between multiple words.

Example: meatpacking work#

3. Subject Heading
A subject heading is a word or term that describes, often quite broadly, the contents of an information resource.  For most libraries in the U.S., these headings are part of a "controlled vocabulary" determined by the Library of Congress (LCSH).  Many (but by no means all!) journal and periodical databases also use LC subject headings; other use their own subject heading terminology, their own "controlled vocabulary."

NOTE: The best way to identify subject heading(s) for your topic is to do a keyword search first, then note and link from subject headings of the most promising items.

4. Truncation
Truncation builds upon the root of a word to retrieve all variations based on it. Truncation symbols vary across catalogs and databases; most often the symbols * or # are used.  If in doubt, try both and/or consult the database HELP function.

For example:

• labor*    =     labor, labors, laborer, etc.
• politi*    =    politic, politics, political, politician, etc.
• religio#     =  religion, religious, religiosity

But caution: Using too short a root will retrieve more than you ever wanted, for example

• rac#         =  race and racism but also raccoon, racer, rack, racketeer, etc.

6. Limit Features:  Use available limit features in the catalog or database to refine your search results.  You can usually limit by language and/or date, often by material/document type, etc.

7. Output/Sending Results:  Most catalogs and databases allow you to email, print, and/or download your search results.  If necessary, use any available help screens/features for instructions.

Direct access to periodical indexes and abstracts is provided through the UCI Libraries Website:  Article Databases.  Here you will find an alphabetical listing of all indexes and abstracts available through CDL or licensed directly by the UCI Libraries.

The following is a selective listing of indexes most useful for topics related to your 'social progress' report on American Society in the 20th Century.

Note: Pay careful attention to the type and chronological scope of the database you are using as you select your search terms.

4.1. Current Information:

RESOURCE	COVERAGE	FULL-TEXT?	DESCRIPTION/SCOPE
Expanded Academic Index ASAP	1980 - present	yes	Provides multi-disciplinary coverage from arts and the humanities to social sciences, science and technology; inlcudes scholarly journals, news magazines, and newspapers - many with full text and images.A good place to begin.
Left Index	1982-present.	no	"Citations in diverse literature of the left, with an emphasis on political, economic, social and culturally engaged scholarship inside and outside academia."
Lexis/Nexis Academic Universe	varies	yes	Nearly 5,000 publications span news, financial, medical, and legal information, the vast majority available in full text, with a limited number available in abstract form. Covers newspapers, magazines, wire services, federal and state court opinions, federal and state statutes, federal regulations, etc. News information is updated daily and wire services several times daily.
The Nation Digital Archive. Note: Click on Subscriber Log-in.	1865-current	yes	Full-text archive of The Nation magazine, America's oldest weekly magazine. Includes 6,800 issues, fully searchable by author, title, keyword or date range. "Its 135+ years of reporting, opinion, and criticism make for an invaluable collection of primary source materia Its 135+ years of reporting, opinion, and criticism make for an unmatched collection of primary source material, covering the history of politics, culture, books and the arts — in the U.S. and around the world.
PAIS International: Public Affairs Information Service.	1972 - present.	no	Index, with abstracts since 1985, to articles, books, conference proceedings, and government documents on social and political policy, political science, public administration and current affairs.
See also News and Newspapers on UCI Libraries website.

4.2. Historical Perspectives:

RESOURCE	COVERAGE	FULL-TEXT?	DESCRIPTION/SCOPE
America: History and Life (AHL).	1964-present	limited number  of links to  full-text	The most authoritative listing of periodical literature, book and media reviews, and dissertations in United States and Canadian history. Covers over 1,700 journals published worldwide. Provides abstracts and, for some articles, links to full-text.  Search Hints: Use the Advanced Search option for more flexibility and precision. Use Keyword Search to begin, then if desired Indicate Time Period: For example, 1980D = 1980-1989. Click on magnifying glass icon to right of time period to browse options.
Los Angeles Times Historical	1881-1937	yes	Full text access to the LA Times(formerly called the Los Angeles Daily Times); additional years will be added soon.
New York Times Historical 1851-1999	1851-1999	yes	Full-text access to the New York Times up to 1999.
Readers Guide Retrospective	1890-1982	no, citations only	Comprehensive indexing of the most popular general-interest periodicals published in the United States, 1890-1982
Wall Street Journal Historical	1889-1985	yes	Full text access to the Wall Street Journal.

Note:

• For other web databases relevant to history research, see CDL History Databases Available to UC Irvine
• For other web databases covering other disciplines related to your topic,  see the UCI Libraries website, Article Databases