Skip to Main Content
It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results.
Vassar

Today's hours:

See all library hours »

  • Ask a Librarian
  • FAQ
.
We are excited to share our new Library catalog and search tool! We hope that you will find it easy to search and explore our collections. If you need help, have questions, or want to share feedback, visit the Ask a Librarian page.
Read More

ANTH 224: Race & Human Variation

Resources to support ANTH 224 coursework and research.

Workshop Materials

Anth 224 Term Project: Unessay 

The major term project is an “unessay,” in which you present detailed information about four aspects of a trait or phenotype: its pattern(s) variation, biological underpinnings, environmental interactions, and social implications/interpretations.

  • Topic & tentative bibliography
  • Article summaries (2) of peer-reviewed journal articles or chapters from scholarly books.
    • The first article summary summarizes and synthesizes at least four resources about the variation and biological bases of the trait.
    • The second summary adds at least four additional references relating the trait to environment and society

Workshop Goals

  • Craft effective search strategies and identify appropriate search tools (i.e. databases) to meet your research needs.
  • Use database functionality to locate relevant scholarly research articles and book chapters.
  • Obtain citation information to accurately source your work and place your research into the scholarly conversation.
  • Leave today's workshop with at least 2-3 potential references. 

Agenda

Part I: Workshop intro & potential topics 

Part II: Creating a logical search & search terms 

Part III: Database searching & additional search strategies 

Part V: Obtaining full text & Interlibrary loan

Part V: AAA citation style & wrap-Up 

What are the strengths of scholarly journals compared to other source types? What do you see as limitations? 
  Scholarly Journal Popular Magazine Trade Magazine Encyclopedia Website

Example 

Cover_of_70.2%202.jpg

ew1478_210631263880.jpg

130718_FilmmakerMagMain.jpg

Title

Film Quarterly

Entertainment Weekly

FILMMAKER Magazine

The Routledge Encyclopedia of Films

Rotten Tomatoes

Stated Purpose

“Film Quarterly has published substantial, peer-reviewed writing on cinema and media for nearly sixty years, earning a reputation as one of the most authoritative academic film journals…”

“… your one-stop source for the latest and most trusted entertainment news and commentary.”

“Filmmaker, a publication of the IFP, covers the world of independent film from the point of view of the working filmmaker and the independent film enthusiast.”

“The Routledge Encyclopedia of Films comprises 200 essays by leading film scholars analysing the most important, influential, innovative and interesting films of all time.”

“As the leading online aggregator of movie and TV show reviews from professional critics, Rotten Tomatoes offers the most comprehensive guide to what's fresh.”

Example Article Title

“We Can Make Something Out of Anything”: Sally Potter's Thriller and London's History of Queer Feminist Film Spaces”

Patty Jenkins responds to James Cameron's Wonder Woman Diss

The Seven Arts of Working in Film: A Necessary Guide to On-Set Protocol

Mad Max (1979)

The Stephen King Scorecard

Price

$46/year (4 issues)

$25/year (50 issues)

$18/year (4 issues)

$153.30 ebook; $219 hardcover

Free

Audience

Academics & professionals

General public

People in the field or industry

Academics & professionals

General public

Authors

Experts or specialists (PhD). Unpaid.

Journalists, staff writers, or freelance writers. Paid.

Staff writers, industry specialists, or vendor representatives. Paid.

Experts or specialists. Paid.

Staff writers, freelance writers, anyone (user generated content). Paid and unpaid.

Editorial Review

Journal editorial board and peer reviewers. Unpaid.

Professional editors. 

Paid.

Professional editors. Paid.

Professional editors. Paid.

Professional editors; possibly no editorial review. Paid.

References /Works Cited

Almost always

Rarely

Sometimes

Almost always

Rarely

Time to Publication

3- 6+ months 

Weeks/ months

Weeks/ months

12+ months 

Minutes – hours

Table concept adapted from https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/tutorials/scholarly-popular/.

You will likely go through the search process a number of times, performing different searches with different keyword combinations, to address the different components of your topic.

Systematic Searching Handsearching
#1 Identify your question. Identify the key concepts and related terms. Tip:  You may want to re-phrase your question. Background reading can help you identify related terms and further define or narrow your topic.  Explore reference lists to locate other articles, books, or authors who have written on the same topic. 
#2 Find an appropriate search tool. Consider your subject matter, discipline of study, type of information needed (e.g. peer reviewed articles) Locate cited by literature to view more recent similar or adjacent research.

#3 Start with a simple search based on your key concepts. Tip: You may also have to look at literature that refers to one (not all) aspects of your research question.

 Browse the table of contents of relevant journals and special issues.

#4 Use specific search strategies.

  • Use AND to join dissimilar terms.
  • Use OR to join synonyms or related terms.
  • Truncate words with * to pick up variations of that word. 
  • Use "quotation marks" for phrase searching. 
  • Use database limiters e.g. limit to scholarly journals. 
  • Consider searching in a specific field e.g. title (article title) or source (journal title.)
 Review bibliographies or reading lists to locate recommended or key resources.
#5 Search and skim results. Look for the language and terms that researchers use and that the database assigns to articles (Subjects). Locate an expert Locate an expert the the field and browse their publications.  
#6 Switch up your searches.  Use promising new terminology.  Your search may become more sophisticated.  

Keyword and subject heading searching are both useful approaches to locating relevant sources. You may find that using a combination of keywords and subject headings brings you the most success. 

  • keywords - words that describe the main concepts of your research 
    • for exp. ecosystem anthropocene, african american foodways, zora neale hurston folklore
  • subject headings - controlled vocabulary that describe a topic and subtopic in a standardized, consistent way

Library of Congress (LC) subject heading classifications are most commonly used, however article databases, such a JSTOR, may use their own subject headings. Find subject headings by viewing the full details of the source, use the database's subject list/ thesaurus if available, or look to filter your search results by subject. 

Anth 224 Google Jamboard