1. Start with keyword searches in Tripod, and when you've found something that looks promising, follow the Library of Congress subject headings (the "Subject" links in the item record) to find more on your topic. You can use these subject headings to find both primary and secondary sources (and you can search for the same subject headings in other catalogs, including WorldCat).
2. Exploit good bibliographies. If there's a great book or article related to your topic, check out what that author cited. Bibliographies can alert you to other secondary sources, as well as relevant primary sources.
3. Make the most of the library's databases! Use Annual Reviews to get an overview of scholarship on your topic. Use Web of Science's Social Sciences Citation Index to trace citations--just click on Cited Reference Search and search by author or title to find out how extensively someone/something has been cited. If you want to know what other scholars think about a book you're reading, use JSTOR to find book reviews--try an advanced search, limited to reviews, using the title of the book as the search phrase.
4. Consider the reference collection. Print and online reference works can give you the basic context for your topic, and enable you to identify key participants, dates, events, and concepts. To find print and online reference materials, try an advanced search in Tripod using keywords and limiting to SC Reference Collections as the location, or browse the reference collection in the appropriate call number range--G for Anthropology, H for Sociology. When you've found books on your topic in the general collection, you can also browse in the same, more specific call number range in the reference collection.
5. Start requesting materials from ILL now!
Subject Portal » Anthropology » Course Guides »
SOAN 98 : Thesis Writers Master Class (SC)
general advice and research strategies:
getting started: annual reviews and reference works:
Annual reviews are a great way to get an overview of a topic and an understanding of recent research in your subject area--and they include valuable bibliographies that can get you started on your own literature review.
Annual review of anthropology
Holdings:
(Bryn Mawr College) Available from 1972-present.
(Haverford College) Available from 1972-present.
(Swarthmore College) Available from 1972-present.
Publisher: Palo Alto, Calif. : Annual Reviews Inc.,
Annual review of sociology
Holdings:
(Bryn Mawr College) Available from 1975-present.
(Haverford College) Available from 1975-present.
(Swarthmore College) Available from 1975-present.
Publisher: Palo Alto, Calif. : Annual Reviews Inc.,
There are specialized encyclopedias and dictionaries both online and in McCabe's Reference section. These sources can provide useful background information, ideas for keywords, and suggestions for further reading. In addition to the recommendations below, there are also reference works on body adornment, masculinity, social movements, and more. Try a keyword search in Tripod and limit your search to SC Reference.
The Cambridge dictionary of sociology
Publisher: Cambridge [England] ; Cambridge University Press, 2006.
McCabe Ref HM425 .C36 2006
Encyclopedia of social and cultural anthropology
Publisher: London ; Routledge, 1996.
McCabe Ref GN307 .E527 1996
Encyclopedia of sociology
Publisher: New York : Macmillan Reference USA, c2000.
McCabe Ref HM425 .E5 v.1-5
International encyclopedia of the social & behavioral sciences
Publisher: Amsterdam ; Elsevier, 2001.
McCabe Ref H41 .I58 2001
finding articles:
Look for the 
button and click on it to see if you can get online access to the citation's article. If Swarthmore does not have access to the online article, you will be given the option to check Tripod for print access, or it will populate an InterLibrary Loan request form for you.
If you are planning to do any research off-campus, you will need to log in to EZ-PROXY, which is Swarthmore's proxy server. Once you have logged in through the proxy server, your access to IP-linked resources will be allowed.
In addition to the databases listed here, you may want to check out the anthropology and sociology subject pages for more suggested resources. Keep in mind, too, that your topic may be interdisciplinary, and that there are library resources in other disciplines (such as history, psychology, and women's and gender studies) that may also be relevant.
button and click on it to see if you can get online access to the citation's article. If Swarthmore does not have access to the online article, you will be given the option to check Tripod for print access, or it will populate an InterLibrary Loan request form for you.If you are planning to do any research off-campus, you will need to log in to EZ-PROXY, which is Swarthmore's proxy server. Once you have logged in through the proxy server, your access to IP-linked resources will be allowed.
In addition to the databases listed here, you may want to check out the anthropology and sociology subject pages for more suggested resources. Keep in mind, too, that your topic may be interdisciplinary, and that there are library resources in other disciplines (such as history, psychology, and women's and gender studies) that may also be relevant.
AnthroSource
Provides full text articles from American Anthropological Association journals, newsletters, and bulletins. Covers 1888-present.
Sociological abstracts
Holdings:
1963-
Publisher: Bethesda, Md. : Cambridge Scientific Abstracts,
Provider: CSA
Provides abstracts of journal articles, books, book chapters, book reviews, dissertations and conference papers in the fields of sociology, social work and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. Records added after 1972 contain in-depth abstracts of journal articles. Covers 1963-present.
Web of Science
This multidisciplinary database can be searched by subject, author, and journal title. Articles that cite a known author or work can also be searched. Cited reference searching helps identify more recent articles on the same topic. Coverage for the Social Sciences Citation Index goes back to 1956.
JSTOR
Provides full-text and page images from many of the top journals in most academic disciplines. Coverage is from the inception of the journal through three to five years ago. There is a good selection of Anthropology and Sociology journals in JSTOR and lots of other journals that may be useful for your research.
ProQuest Research Library
Provider: ProQuest
Provides citations and full-text magazine and journal articles in a wide variety of disciplines, both scholarly and popular in scope. Often a good place to start your research. Covers 1971-present.
news, government information, and statistics:
LexisNexis academic
Provider: LN
Full-text of thousands of newspapers, magazines, news transcripts, reference works, and legal materials. Includes NY Times (1980-current)
News sources - U.S. and International
News sources - Alternative Press
Government Information
Key resources for locating government information. You may also come across government publications in Tripod.
Statistics and Data
Statistical resources in print and online--especially useful for demographic information.
requesting from other libraries:
Trico
Request items from Bryn Mawr and Haverford by clicking on the "request" button in Tripod. Use your name and the barcode from the back of your student ID. Your requested materials will generally arrive at Swarthmore in 1-2 days. Keep in mind that items in special collections are usually for in-house use only, which means that you'll have to go to Bryn Mawr or Haverford to use them.
EZ-Borrow
You can also request items from our regional partner libraries using EZ-Borrow. Again, you'll need your 14-digit barcode number to make a request. These items usually arrive on campus in 3-5 days.
Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
If you can't get what you need from the Trico or EZ-Borrow libraries, our interlibrary loan specialists can help you--fill out an ILL request form, but keep in mind that these materials could take several weeks to arrive on campus.
If you're unsure of which service to use, check out this guide to Tri-College Borrowing and Interlibrary Loan.
Request items from Bryn Mawr and Haverford by clicking on the "request" button in Tripod. Use your name and the barcode from the back of your student ID. Your requested materials will generally arrive at Swarthmore in 1-2 days. Keep in mind that items in special collections are usually for in-house use only, which means that you'll have to go to Bryn Mawr or Haverford to use them.
EZ-Borrow
You can also request items from our regional partner libraries using EZ-Borrow. Again, you'll need your 14-digit barcode number to make a request. These items usually arrive on campus in 3-5 days.
Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
If you can't get what you need from the Trico or EZ-Borrow libraries, our interlibrary loan specialists can help you--fill out an ILL request form, but keep in mind that these materials could take several weeks to arrive on campus.
If you're unsure of which service to use, check out this guide to Tri-College Borrowing and Interlibrary Loan.
creating a bibliography:
ASA style guide
Publisher: Washington, D.C. : American Sociological Association, c1997.
McCabe Ref Desk HM73 .A54 2007
Publication manual of the American Psychological Association.
Publisher: Washington, DC : American Psychological Association, c2010.
McCabe Ref BF76.7 .P83 2010
OWL: The Online Writing Lab at Purdue
Zotero
From the Zotero site: "Zotero [zoh-TAIR-oh] is a free, easy-to-use Firefox extension to help you collect, manage, and cite your research sources. It lives right where you do your work — in the web browser itself." To get started, check out these video tutorials.
Endnote Web
With Endnote Web, you can search for, collect, and organize citations, insert citations into your work, and assemble a bibliography. Endnote Web is, as the name suggests, web-based, and doesn't require a download. Check out general instructions for using Endnote Web, and instructions for using it with selected soc/anth databases.
research help:
Melanie Maksin, mmaksin1, 690-5786
If you need research assistance, I'm at the reference desk on Wednesdays, 7-10 p.m., and on Thursdays, 3-5 p.m. You can also make an appointment or stop by to meet with me in my office, which is on Level 1 of McCabe.
Looking for more ways to ask a librarian? Call, email, IM, or come to the McCabe reference desk!
If you need research assistance, I'm at the reference desk on Wednesdays, 7-10 p.m., and on Thursdays, 3-5 p.m. You can also make an appointment or stop by to meet with me in my office, which is on Level 1 of McCabe.
Looking for more ways to ask a librarian? Call, email, IM, or come to the McCabe reference desk!