Getting Started in the LibraryThis library guide points you in the direction of some basic library resources for completing library assignments and writing research papers in this course. Many of these resources are available from the library's homepage at http://www.lib.ipfw.edu/, so you may want to bookmark both the homepage and this guide.
Here are some resources to get you started:
Gaining an OverviewTo develop and refine your search, it often helps to consult a specialized dictionary, encyclopedia, handbook, textbook, guide, or bibliography. These tools are designed to offer an overview of your topic or research problem written by an expert. They may provide an historical perspective, a chronology of events, definitions of terms or concepts, or bibliographic references leading to the literature in a particular field of study. Many useful reference works are now available online. These handy e-reference collections are accessible via Find Resources By... Subject, Title, or Type on the library's homepage.
Historical Research ProcessWhen conducting historical research: FIRST. Use specialized encyclopedias, handbooks, guides, and textbooks to identify who, what, when, where, how and why.
SECOND. Use the references cited at the end of chapters or articles in textbooks, specialized encyclopedias, handbooks, and guides, and specialized bibliographies to identify the core scholarly research on your topic or research problem.
THIRD. Use databases and indexes to update core scholarly research with current scholarly material.
FOURTH. Identify and obtain as much primary source material as possible. A primary source documents first-hand accounts or first recordings of events. The historian using a number of such primary sources produces a secondary source. Examples of primary source materials include letters, diaries, memoirs, speeches, contemporaneous newspaper accounts, government documents, statistics, photographs, etc. Consult the History librarian for help in locating primary source materials.
Selected Reference Works for this CourseAtlasesCultural Atlas of China (Reference DS721 .B56 1998)
Historical Atlas of China (Reference G2306.S1 H4 1966)
Biographical SourcesBiographic Dictionary of Chinese Communism, 1921-1965, 2 vols. (Reference DS778.A1 K55 1971)
Biographical Dictionary of Republican China, 4 vols. (DS778.A1 B5)
Encyclopedias, Handbooks, and BibliographiesCambridge Encyclopedia of China (Reference DS705 .C35 1991)
China (Reference DS706 .C44 1983) an annotated bibliography of books on the history, geography, economy, politics, people, culture and society of China.
China [electronic resource] : a Country Study Provides a comprehensive study of China by the United States Defense Department.
China : a Global Studies Handbook (Reference DS706 .C4893 2003) Complete ready reference covering Chinese history, economics, politics, culture, and prevalent social problems.
China Handbook (Reference HC427.92 .C565243 1997) Provides an overview of China's economic development primarily in the twentieth century.
Country profile. China, Mongolia Provides an annual concise analysis and background information on China's economic & political situation from 1996 to present.
Dictionary of Contemporary Chinese Military History (Reference DS754.15 .W67 1999) Provides short informational entries. Most valuable for its references to sources for further study.
Encyclopedia of Modern Asia Provides 3,000 articles on Modern Asia from a global perspective. Historical articles emphasize people, places, events, and developments that have had a lasting influence on Asia. Articles also cover Asian relations with Western nations, the relations between nations within Asia, and also the flow of people, goods, and ideas within Asia and globally.
Modern China: An Encyclopedia of History, Culture, and Nationalism (Reference JC311 .M54 1998) Contains detailed entries on major political topics as well as the arts, business, literature, education, journalism, and other aspects of social, cultural, and economic life, focusing on the period from the mid-19th century to the present. Offers material on neglected subjects including women and minorities, modern drama, the Sino-French War, and Mongolian independence. Longer essays survey broad topics such as censorship, literary movements, and powerful social groups. Emphasis throughout is on dramatic changes that have taken place since the end of WWII.
Nagel's Encyclopedia - Guide China (Reference DS705 .N313 1968) This little volume is valuable for its indepth descriptions of Chinese cites and provinces and its insert maps and plans of cities and buildings.
Women in China : A Selected and Annotated Bibliography (Reference Z7964.C5 W44 1984) Includes books, journal articles and dissertations on women in China from the earliest time to the early 1980s.
CultureChronological table of Chinese and World Cultures: Philosophy, Art, Technology (Reference DS721 .C5674 1987) An illustrated chart of the China's accomplishments in relationship to the world.
Countries and Their Cultures Focuses on cultures and countries around the world, specifically what is and is not shared culturally by the people who live in a particular country. Entries contain descriptive summaries of the country in question, including demographic, historical, cultural, economic, religious, and political information.
Searching IUCAT for Books and PeriodicalsSearch IUCAT Catalog (Indiana University's online library catalog), to find books and periodicals (scholarly journals, popular magazines, newspapers, and other serials), or library materials such as music CDs, electronic resources, and videos. Materials at the Fort Wayne Helmke Library are designated by the library location FORTWAYNE.
IUCAT searches from on-campus computers will show only materials held by the IPFW Fort Wayne Helmke Library. To search all IU libraries, choose ALL from the Select Library pull-down menu on the search screen.
Sometimes IUCAT will lead you to articles in periodicals, but the most efficient way to locate articles is to use a periodical database or index to search many periodicals simultaneously.
Learning about IUCATSave time in the long run by investing a half-hour with our interactive Searching IUCAT Tutorial. It is an easy way to grasp fundamental search techniques and try your hand at practice searches designed to reinforce your knowledge. Also check our other IUCAT Guides for help in using IUCAT to your best advantage.
Choosing the Type of SearchUse the default Basic Search search option to find important keywords or phrases in an IUCAT record, in any order. Choose this search when you are unsure of the exact author or title of works on your topic.
Choose the Begins With (Browse) option from the box labeled More IUCAT Searches to find words or phrases exactly as typed, letter-for-letter, searching from left to right. Choose this search to find known authors or titles. Step 1. Enter term(s) in Title, Author, or Keywords Anywhere search boxes.
Step 2. Under Library, leave Fort Wayne Helmke Library as default, or change to ALL.
Step 3. Click the Search button.
Keyword Search ExamplesKeywords Anywhere will search for words anywhere in a record. This search is the default when the Enter key is used instead of clicking the button.
Example: boxer rebellion
Example: opium war
Author will search for first or last names in any order in the author fields of a record. Included are personal names, organizations, agencies, corporations, conferences, etc.
Example: zdong mao [finds books by Mao Zedon]
Title will search for important words in the title. Do not use initial articles: a, the, la, das, etc.
Example: Tiananmen square [finds the books with Tiananmen Square in the title such as Children of the Dragon: the Story of Tiananmen Square]
Subject will search for important words in the official Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH).
Example: Tibet and china
Finding Periodicals in IUCATStep 1. Choose Periodical Title Search from the box labeled More IUCAT Searches.
Step 2. Enter the periodical title. Choose Keyword or Exact depending on the search you need.
Step 3. Select the correct record from the Search Results screen.
Step 4. In the IUCAT record look for the URL (for Electronic Resources available Online) or Holdings (for printed periodicals) to find what specific years and volumes are available at IUCAT's FORTWAYNE location.
Step 5. When the library owns the printed volumes you need, write down the call number and location. The call number and IUCAT Shelving Locations will help you determine where an item will be shelved in the library. Or if the resource is available online, follow the URL link to the full-text content.
Locating Books and Periodicals in the LibraryBooks, printed periodicals, and other library materials are shelved in Library of Congress Classification (LC) call number order. The call number and IUCAT Shelving Locations will help you determine on which floor of the library an item will be shelved.
Searching for Periodical ArticlesThe most efficient way of finding a high-quality periodical article , is to search a periodical database or index that provides descriptive abstracts, subject indexing, and often, the full-text content of articles. Check out the interactive Finding Articles Tutorial to learn the basics of choosing and searching the Academic Search Premier database. Below is a selection of databases useful for your course. For a complete list, see the library's Find Resources By... page. Select a resource by Subject, Title, or Type (choose Abstracts & Indexes).
Databases for this Course
Academic Search Premier (EBSCOhost)
Content: | Provides abstracts and indexing of articles in nearly 8,000 popular magazines, scholarly journals, and major newspapers, updated daily, in a wide range of fields including business, education, science and technology, health sciences, humanities, and social sciences, with nearly 4,000 titles available full text. Limit to scholarly, peer-reviewed articles or full-text articles only, if desired. Indexing coverage varies, with full-text content for some titles beginning 1975 or earlier, and most titles indexed from the 1990s. A complete list of titles covered is available. |
Access: | Database available to authorized IPFW users (on or off campus). Database available to authorized IPFW users (on or off campus). Other Indiana residents with an Internet service provider not based in Indiana (AOL, MSN, EarthLink, etc.) must first register for an INSPIRE password account. |
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Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO)
Content: | Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO) is a comprehensive source for theory and research in international affairs. It provides full-text of a wide variety of research including working papers from research organizations such as the Brookings Institution, Carter Center, Cato Institute, Council on Foreign Relations, and Oxford Centre for International Studies, occasional papers series from Non-governmental organizations, foundation-funded research projects, proceedings from conferences, books, journals, and policy briefs. CIAO also provides teaching materials including original case studies written by leading international affairs experts, course packs of background readings for history and political science classes, and special features like the analysis of a bin Laden recruitment tape with video. Coverage is from 1991 to the present. |
Access: | Database available to authorized IPFW users (on or off campus). |
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Web of Science
Content: | The Web of Science provides access to the Science Citation Index Expanded, Social Sciences Citation Index, and Arts and Humanities Citation Index published by the Institute for Scientific Information. These unique citation indexes scan the content (including cited references) of nearly 9,000 major journals published worldwide. Updated weekly. Each record offers access to the author's abstract (when available), words in article titles (thus, limited subject analysis), and most importantly, the author's full bibliography (list of cited references or bibliographic footnotes). Use Cited Reference Search to find articles that cite an author or a work anywhere in the indexed source journals from 1955 to present. Use General Search to find articles by topic, author, journal, or address; IPFW's license provides access to articles published in the 9,000 source journals only from 1995 to present. Use the Help feature or Information for New Users to learn more about citation searching, including techniques for eliminating self-citations, finding articles that make reference to or include illustrations of works of art and music scores (implicit citations), or how to use the Times Cited feature to trace citation networks. Searches can be saved and run as search alerts. Results can be marked to print, save, e-mail, or export directly into bibliographic management software such as EndNote. A Master Journal List is available after authentication. |
Access: | Database available to authorized IPFW users (on or off campus). |
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Worldwide Political Science Abstracts (CSA)
Content: | CSA Worldwide Political Science Abstracts includes the merged backfiles of Political Science Abstracts, 1975-2000, and ABC POL SCI, 1984-2000. The database provides citations, abstracts, and indexing of books, dissertations, films, software and international serials literature in political science and its complementary fields, including international relations, law, labor relations, and public administration/policy. The database indexes approximately 1,304 titles and contains over 400,000 records. Many records from key journals in political science, published since 2000, also include the references cited in the bibliography of the source article. Each individual reference may also have links to an abstract and/or to other papers that cite that reference. All records added since 2000 are indexed using a thesaurus of over 3,000 terms. |
Access: | Database available to authorized IPFW users (on or off campus). IPFW library owns ABC Pol Sci, 1969-1991 (Reference Z7161.A214). |
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NOTE: Access to Historical Abstracts is available by appointment with History librarian, Cheryl Truesdell (truesdel@ipfw.edu or 260-481-6506)
Is Your Article Scholarly or Popular?University instructors often ask students to use articles from scholarly journals rather than from popular magazines for their research assignments. The following Is Your Journal Scholarly? (PDF) summarizes major differences between scholarly journals and popular magazines. Which type of source have you located?
What about Full Text?Full text means that the text of the article is available in PDF or HTML digital format. Graphics and tables are not automatically included unless the database producer has rights to publish them. Many of the library's licensed databases offer the full-text content of periodical articles. IPFW students, faculty, and staff now have access to more than 20,000 full-text journals. Find them in E-Journal Finder.
When an article you need is not available full text in the database you are using, choose  to see all of your delivery options. You may be able to access the full-text content in another database, request the article from another library through Document Delivery Services, or make a photocopy of the article if the printed periodical is owned by Helmke Library.
When a Resource is Not Available in the LibraryRequest Delivery is an IUCAT feature that allows IPFW faculty, students, and staff to request materials held by other Indiana University Libraries and to have them delivered to Helmke Library (see the IUCAT Request Delivery Fact Sheet).
You may also request any item that is not available at Helmke Library through Document Delivery Services (DDS). DDS borrows books and provides photocopies of periodical articles from other library collections. The service is free for IPFW faculty, staff, and students.
Using Government InformationThe U.S. government is an excellent source for primary research materials. Helmke Library has been a selective federal depository for U.S. government publications since 1965, receiving items in the categories of business, the census, commerce, defense history, education, health, justice, foreign affairs, presidential and congressional materials. Many federal government publications are freely available in digital format, and these resources can be accessed using IUCAT Catalog. The library's Public Information Reference Service (PIRS) provides research assistance as well as access to the wealth of local, state, federal, and international government information on the Web. The Allen County Public Library is also a federal depository library.
Primary Source MaterialsIdentify and obtain as much primary source material as possible. A primary source documents first-hand accounts or first recordings of events. The historian using a number of such primary sources produces a secondary source. Examples of primary source materials include letters, diaries, memoirs, speeches, contemporaneous newspaper accounts, government documents, statistics, photographs, etc. Consult the History librarian for help in locating specific primary source materials.
Searching the InternetFor some information needs, the Internet may supplement library resources. To begin an Internet search, try one of the many search engines on our Internet Search site. One that works well is Google, which ranks results by number of links leading to a site. The section on Subject-Oriented Tools includes directories that have evaluated and selected sites for specific subject areas, such as the Librarians' Index to the Internet.
Because the World Wide Web is a massive, tangled directory of knowledge producers, research, facts, and entertaining tidbits of information, you must be critical about the material you find there. Quality and validity are not assured when anyone can publish anything, anytime, without the benefit of scholarly peer review. There are many useful guides and tutorials to help you understand how to navigate and evaluate Web sites, including Is Your Web Site Credible?
Finding Internet sites for this CourseThe Internet has become a useful place to locate primary and secondary source material. However, each Web site needs to be evaluated for its quality. The library's Judging Sources: Is your Web site Credible? provides a checklist for determining the validity of a Web site for your research needs. Asian Studies WWW Virtual Library This site provides links to many Asian online resources.
China: an Annotated Directory of Internet Sources Maintained by the University of Redlands, this site provides links to information about Chinese history, culture, business, environment, politics, and more.
China Search Engine Created by the University of Texas at Austin, this site provides links to information about Chinese history, politics, business, economics, religion, and much more.
East & Southeast Asia: an Annotated Directory of Internet Resources The site contains subdivided sections on each of the countries of East and Southeast Asia; on the Pearl River Delta region in South China; on Asian Americans; on educational and research resources for Asia, China, Korea, and Japan, and for Asian American studies; and on "hot current topics."
PAIR: Portal to Asian Internet Resources PAIR brings together a scholastic, eclectic group of Internet materials in a tightly organized, well cataloged, and easily accessible format. PAIR covers Asia from Turkey to Japan, including links in English and local languages. PAIR includes a wide variety of social science and humanities disciplines and offers several search options, ranging from clicking on the site's map of countries to keyword and guided searches using Boolean operators.
Digital archives for this CourseWhile the WWW is not useful as a general research tool for secondary scholarly literature, it is becoming an excellent source for digitized collections of primary source material. China Maps The Perry-Castañeda Library provides topographical, political, historical, and geographical maps of every country in the world.
The Gate of Heavenly Peace This site is a companion to the PBS documentary about the protests at Tiananmen in 1989 and the resulting Beijing massacre. It includes primary documents, including video and audio clips, posters, photographs, and art work.
Nanking 1937 Created by Princeton University students, this site contains a history of the Japanese takeover of Nanking, China, as well as providing photographs of some of the atrocities committed by the Japanese soldiers.
Visual Sourcebook of Chinese Civilization The site's purpose is to illustrate the history of Chinese civilization through images rather than texts. A large number of photographs are well organized into ten units: geography, archaeology, religion, calligraphy, military technology, painting, homes, gardens, clothing, and graphic arts. A time line and maps are also provided. Readers may review the development of history and compare different events through the whole history. The photographs are clear, with an authentic quality.
Style Guides and Useful Tools for WritingA variety of style guides are on reserve at the Service Desk on the first floor. These tools help you organize and write your paper, and format in-text references and bibliography lists. For more information, also see our Style Guides and Writing Guides subject pathfinders.
And Finally, Ask a LibrarianLibrarians and skilled information assistants are always available to assist you. Visit the Service Desk to meet an information assistant who will help you get started. You are welcome to make an appointment with Your Subject Librarian if you need more in-depth assistance.
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truesdel@ipfw.edu
2101 E. Coliseum Blvd.
Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1499
260-481-6514
Fax: 260-481-6509
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Cheryl Truesdell M.L.S.
Dean
Helmke Library, LB 142 |
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| Created by: |
C. Truesdell |
| Date created: |
2007-01-29 |
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