LibGuides: Honors 100 Lusty, Dr. Heather: Annotated Bibliography

Teaching and Learning Librarian

Mark Lenker

Email Me

Contact:

4505 South Maryland Pkwy.
Box 457001
Las Vegas, Nevada
89154-7001
mark.lenker@unlv.edu

702-895-2248

Subjects: General Education Core (GSC)

Search term strategy

Expect to adjust your search terms when you are working with different databases.

For high-content databases like QuickSearch and our newspaper databases, focus your results by using more than one term, for example: expertise AND "social media".
For more specialized or lower-content databases, like Credo for encyclopedias, using two or three concepts may narrow your results too much. If this happens, reduce your search to a single term, for example: expertise.

If it helps you stay organized, keep track of your sources in this chart (make your own copy)

Research Log for HON 100
Chart for keeping track of sources. Includes columns for search terms, title and author info, description, and how it informs your research.

Step-by-step Instructions for finding books and articles in QuickSearch

Find Books and Articles in QuickSearch
Step-by-step instructions for using the QuickSearch search tool on the library's homepage.

Find an academic encyclopedia article on your topic.

Specialized encyclopedias are great sources of background knowledge on new topics. They can also provide leads on other sources to consult.

Use the library's CREDO database to find specialized encyclopedias on this topic. Make sure your article:

Is at least 1000 words long.
Was published after 2010 (publication info is usually at the bottom of CREDO articles).

Find a recent news article on your topic.

The library offers several databases for news sources. US Newsstream and Access World News are two of the best. US Newsstream is a little easier to work with, but Access World News has more content, especially for Nevada issues. Both feature filters on the left that let you narrow results by date, region, or news source.

Find a news article on your topic. Be sure that your article is:

Substantial -- more than a blurb or an announcement.
From 2021 or later.
From a newspaper or magazine you have heard of before.

Access World News: Research Collection
Good for: Finding newspaper articles from around the world, including Nevada.
Contains: Newspaper articles from global news outlets, both print and web-only.
U.S. Newsstream Collection
Good for: Finding current and recent news articles from major U.S. newspapers.
Contains: Articles from newspapers like the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal.
Dates covered: 1980s-present.

Find scholarly journal articles related to your topic.

The QuickSearch database on the library home page works great for this. Just make sure to use the filter on the right for Peer-Reviewed Journals.

Use the QuickSearch database to find a scholarly journal article on your topic. Make sure your article:

Was published after 2010.
Was written by authors with expertise that relates to your area of research.

Where do all of these databases come from?

QuickSearch is the search box centrally featured on the Libraries home page. The other databases can be found under Databases A to Z -- the link is just below the QuickSearch search box.

Another Good Source of Scholarly Articles on Medieval Topics

JSTOR
Good for: Exploring a wide range of scholarly topics.
Contains: Scholarly journals, ebooks, art images and primary source collections

JSTOR digitally archives more than 700 scholarly journals. Subjects include African-American studies, anthropology, Asian studies, business, ecology, economics, education, finance, history, literature, mathematics, music, philosophy, political science, and more. Also includes ARTSTOR collections from museums and collections of historical primary sources from libraries and cultural heritage organizations.

Medieval Manuscripts (Primary Sources)

In addition to finding artifacts on museum websites, these databases provide scans of manuscripts from the Middle Ages. I had the best luck with Early English Books Online, but the others are worth searching as well.

Early English Books Online
Good for: Researching early English literature and culture.
Contains: Most extant printed books in English published before 1700.
Dates covered: 1475-1700.

Image files and PDFs available for all books; many books have also been scanned and have searchable text included.
Medieval Family Life
Good for: Reading letters about medieval family life, business, relationships, trade, politics, and community.
Contains: Archive of correspondence.
Dates covered: 1400-1500.
Medieval Travel Writing
Good for: Studying journeys to central Asia and the Far East.
Contains: Manuscripts from European travelers.
Dates covered: 1200s-1500s.
World History: Ancient & Medieval Eras
Good for: Studying the ancient and medieval worlds.
Contains: Translated primary sources and reference entries.

Available to eligible Nevada public, school, and academic libraries thanks to the Institute for Museum & Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act.

Honors 100 Lusty, Dr. Heather: Annotated Bibliography

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