First Steps | Finding Books | Finding Articles | Finding Websites | For Further Assistance...

1. Select a topic

Some of the best sources for selecting and narrowing a research paper topic are textbooks and reference books. Reference books are non-circulating (meaning they cannot be checked out) encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, handbooks, directories, and guidebooks. They are shelved on the library's first floor just beyond the reference desk. Some anthropology/archaeology reference books include (each book's call number is in parentheses):

• Encyclopedia of Human Evolution & Prehistory, 2000  (Ref. GN281 .E53 2000)
• History of Physical Anthropology: An Encyclopedia, 1997  (Ref. GN50.3 .H57 1997)
• Companion Encyclopedia of Anthropology, 2002  (Ref. GN25 .C65 2002)
• Companion Encyclopedia of Archaeology, 1999  (Ref. CC70 C59 1999)
• Encyclopedia of Archaeology, 2001  (Ref. CC100 .E54 2001)
• Cambridge Encyclopedia of Hunters & Gatherers, 1999  (Ref. GN388 .C35 1999)
• Oxford Illustrated Prehistory of Europe, 1994  (Ref. GN803 .O94 1994)
• Past Worlds: The Times Atlas of Archaeology, 1988  (Ref. Folio G1046.E15 P3 1988)
• Atlas of World Archaeology, 2000  (Ref. CC165 .A85 2000)
• Introduction to Library Research in Anthropology, 1998  (Ref. GN42 .W44 1998)

Reference books can help you select a topic because they provide a concise introduction to a variety of topics in a particular field (anthropology) or subfield (human evolution). They introduce you to the vocabulary relating to your topic, which you can then use for searching article databases or the Internet. Often, reference books contain bibliographies of related readings to start you on your research path. Here's an example...

You are considering writing your paper on "sexual dimorphism." You check the Encyclopedia of Human Evolution and Prehistory and find a section on sexual dimorphism on page 633. After a brief definition and explanation of sexual dimorphism, the encyclopedia discusses Primate Dimorphism, Sexual Dimorphism in Humans, and Factors Influencing Sexual Dimorphism. Reading through the encyclopedia entry, you realize that "sexual dimorphism" is an awfully broad topic; you decide to narrow your paper topic to "factors influencing sexual dimorphism." That section of the encyclopedia article discusses such influences as sexual selection, protection from predators, species size, niche utilization, feeding behavior, and protein availability. You might decide to narrow your topic even further, to "protein availability as a factor in sexual dimorphism," for example.

The encyclopedia article has offered you quite a few keywords to continue searching with (protein, feeding, feeding behavior, sexual dimorphism, intersexual differences, sexual characteristics). It also offers a bibliography that includes several books as well as articles from the journals Nature, American Journal of Physical Anthropology, and the Annual Review of Anthropology. The Scribner Library has all of these articles; you are on your way to compiling your own bibliography!

2. Identify keywords and subject headings

When you search the library catalog or article databases (and even sometimes the Internet), you have the option of searching keywords or subject headings. What's the difference?

	KEYWORDS	SUBJECT HEADINGS
What you search:	The catalog or database searches for your keywords anywhere within the database (assuming you've chosen to search "all fields"). It will find your terms in article or book titles, in article descriptions, in the subject headings listed for the book or article, and in the full text of the article, if available.	The catalog or database searches for your terms only in the subject heading field.
What you enter as search terms:	Enter any terms	Enter only subject headings (or terms in subject headings) used by that particular catalog or database.
Pros:	You don't have to know particular subject headings! - you can enter any words you like. You can enter phrases, such as "factors influencing sexual dimorphism." Your search will pull up books and articles that have your term in the title, description, full text, etc., meaning that you'll get a lot of results.	If you search subject headings, you can be sure that the articles or books that the search engine retrieves are closely related to your topic. You are much less likely to get "false hits" with a subject search than with a keyword search.
Cons:	It is common to get "false hits" with keyword searches. For instance, you may want to find articles about the hominid Lucy, but if you enter "Lucy" as a keyword, you're results will also include all articles written by authors named Lucy! Keywords searches often retrieve too many results.	You have to know (or guess) particular subject headings (or know how to find them). Subject searches aren't as flexible as keyword searches.

Trying out both keyword and subject heading searches will usually lead to the best results.

To identify potential keywords, write out a list of terms that describe your topic. Next write out a list of synonyms or similar words that you can use to search with. Use the terms on these lists in various combinations. As discussed above, reference books can help you identify vocabulary relating to your paper topic, which you can then use as keywords to search article databases and the Internet.

One of the best ways to identify subject headings is to start with a keyword search. Take a look at your search results. Each record (each book or article entry) should have a list of subject headings (sometimes called descriptors) associated with it. Try searching the subject headings that best match your topic. Here are some sample subject headings relating to human evolution/prehistory:

Brain evolution	Natural selection	[Names]: Darwin, Leakey, etc.
Human beings origin	Prehistoric peoples	[Locations, sites]: Olduvai Gorge
Human evolution	Tools, prehistoric

Use Lucy2, the Scribner Library catalog, to find books, videos, CDs and other items owned by the library. The catalog will accept both keyword and subject searches (see section above). If you need assistance using the library catalog, the reference librarian will be happy to help you.

The following article databases will refer you to anthropology related journal articles. Some include the full-text of articles (which means that you can read or print the article directly from the database entry). More article databases are listed on the Scribner Library's Anthropology Subject Page.

JSTOR
(Coverage: 19th century to approx. 4 years ago, Full-Text) JSTOR provides the full-text of a vareity of Anthropology and Archaeology jourals, including American Anthropologist, American Antiquity, American Journal of Archaeology, Annual Review of Anthropology, and World Archaeology. On the search page, make sure to check off "Anthropology" and/or "Archaeology" from the subject list before submitting your search.

Project Muse
(Coverage: The past 3-5 years, Full-Text) Provides the full-text of the most recent issues of Anthropological Quarterly, Ethnohistory and Human Biology.

Anthropological Literature
(Coverage : late 19th century-present) Although this database isn't the most user-friendly, it does provide access to a large range of journal article citations in anthropology and archaeology. Search by keyword or by subject. Some of the general subject headings used by the database include "Human anatomy," "Human behavior" and "Human evolution." Examples of more specifc subject headings include "Sexual dimorphism - hominids," "Australopithecines - locomotion" and "Homo ergaster."

Article First
(Coverage : 1984-present) Provides access to journal articles covering a range of disciplines and subjects, including anthropology. Although the database doesn't contain the full-text of articles, if you click into an article citation that you are interested in and then click on the link for " Search the catalog at Lucy Scribner Library " you'll find out if the library has the journal in print or in full-text in anthother database.

To find out whether the library has the journal that contains an article that you are interested in, enter the journal title (not the article title!) into the search box below:

Journals Quick Search:   (enter keywords from the journal title, do not enter "and" or "&")

General Directories/Search Engines
(These searchable directories were compiled by librarians, university professors and other knowledgeable individuals. Although multidisciplinary in scope, these directories tend to contain high-quality, reliable Web sites)

Anthropology/Human Evolution Links
(These sites contain lists of Anthropology and/or Human Evolution links. They are presented in order of reliability)

Other Sites of Interest

For Help With Web Searching...

Search tip: If you are using Google to search for material relating to your topic, enter your keywords or phrases followed by either:          site:edu             or          site:org This will ensure that Google retrieves sites from the .edu or .org domains (and skips results from questionable .com sites).              Example: "sexual dimorphism" and protein site:edu

Material on the Web varies greatly in terms of accuracy, reliability, and currentness. Use the following evaluation worksheet to help you decide whether a particular site is appropriate for your needs.

Web Site Evaluation Checklist

Evaluating Internet Sites and Resources

Help With Internet Searching

 

If you need help finding resources or using the library, contact

Elizabeth Putnam
Social Sciences/Exercise Science Librarian
Library Room 211 (second floor, within study room 210)
580-5542
eputnam@skidmore.edu

Or, for immediate assistance, stop by or call the reference desk (Library first floor, ext. 5503).