GO TO THE LIBRARY ...
Increasingly, materials
for academic research are found online. This does NOT mean, however,
that you can do your research exclusively through the Internet. Although
it may seem like it, not everything is available on the web! The bulk
of credible academic sources you
need for a strong research paper are located in
the library.
For instance, many of
the articles that you locate using Humanities online databases like America:
History and Life are only available in print-based journals. Also,
you will need to go to the library to check out books, and to view reference
and multimedia materials that are for library use only. (See the previous
page for more information about these resources.)
Another good reason to
visit the library is to get help from the library staff. The UCI librarians are well aware of the needs and
concerns of students doing research and academic writing in the Humanties.
At the Langson Library, you can find many
librarians -- at the Reference desk and in the Special Collections and
Archives, for instance -- who are expert at locating the types of materials
you need for your research. Important note:
be sure you have specific questions for the librarians -- the more specific
the question, the better they can answer it for you.
For these reasons, you
should visit the library in order to do thorough, detailed research.
... AND EXPECT
TO GO TO THE LIBRARY MORE THAN ONCE
LEARN TO SKIM BOOKS
FOR INFORMATION
For this research
paper, you will have a large amount of reading to get through in a limited
amount of time. Additionally, some of the books that you may want
to consult are only available for 2-hour loan at Langson Library Reserves.
To use the books most effectively in the time you have, a good strategy is to read the INTRODUCTION of a book, which usually contains the author’s thesis and a summary of the book’s contents, and the CONCLUSION and TABLE OF CONTENTS. Reviewing these sections will allow you to determine which parts of the book, if any, will be useful to you.
Also, you should consult the INDEX of a book and look for any references to your specific topic. You can then identify the specific sections of the book that will be most useful for you to photocopy or read.
TRY MELVYL
Many of the suggestions thus far have revolved around finding resources carried by the UCI libraries. However, you can also use MELVYL, the online catalog for the University of California, to search for materials not available at UCI. MELVYL catalogues books from all UC campus libraries, as well as other major collections located in California.
As mentioned above,
you can use the Interlibrary
Loan (ILL) feature on Antpac to request books and photocopies of
articles in journals that are not owned by UCI. Requests usually take
around ten days to process, so you will want to make requests early.
(You can also use ILL to request a library book even if it is owned
by UCI, if it is currently unavailable -- if it is missing from the
stacks, checked out to another patron, etc. When you request the book,
be sure to explain that you need it for your research, but that UCI's copy
is currently checked out.)
USE
THE WRITER'S HANDBOOK AND WRITING FROM A TO Z
As you compile sources
and review books and articles for information, you will also want to evaluate your sources and decide if they are
credible, scholarly, and authoritative ones. Many of the Writer’s Handbook selections directly address
this issue and can help you in the research process. In particular,
see "Chapter Seven: Analyzing Primary Sources" and "Chapter Twenty-Nine:
Developing Electronic Research Strategies."
Similarly, Writing from A to Z is a valuable resource
as you research and write your final essay: it contains pertinent information
about researching on the internet and in the library, as well as detailed
instructions on the formal elements of college writing. For example,
A to Z outlines the various Documentation
and Manuscript Formats, such as the Chicago Manual of Style [CMS]
and the Modern Language Association [MLA] Style. In the genre of academic
writing, the ability to consistently and accurately cite your sources is
crucial to establishing your ethos as an author. Thus, you need to make
sure you are using the proper format, and that you are following it carefully.
(If you have questions about which format you should be using for this
assignment, ask your instructor.
UTILIZE THE UCI
LIBRARIES WEBPAGE RESOURCES
Many helpful resources are available through the UCI Libraries Homepage, such as:
CONSIDER LOOKING
OUTSIDE UCI FOR SOURCES