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Researching Databases

As discussed in class, MOST of your secondary sources need to come from “scholarly journals.”  The best source for journal articles is a subscription database like the following:

JSTOR – full-text scholarly articles

  1. Go to the ULM Library (or website: http://www.ulm.edu/library/)
  2. click the JSTOR link in left column
  3. enter user name and password (if off-campus)
  4. search using keywords (string together using “and”)
  5. click on the title to view the text
  6. click PDF to download
  7. File à Save In à Flash Drive
  8. Print out at home!

INFOTRAC – citations, abstracts, and full-text scholarly and popular articles

  1. Go to the River Oaks website (http://www.romustangs.com)
  2. click the InfoTrac link at bottom of page
  3. the Library ID is RIVER
  4. search the entire collection by entering “Frankenstein” in the box at the top
  5. select the “full text” box to find complete articles
  6. search within results by typing a keyword
  7. note the the "academic journals" tab will give you scholarly articles
  8. click on the title to view the text, or click PDF to download
  9. at this point, you can either save or print

EBSCO – a collection of databases, including full-text articles

  1. Go to the Ouachita Parish Library (or website: http://www.oplib.org)
  2. Click on “Other Links” in the left column
  3. Click on “CLICK HERE for our subscription database links”
  4. Click on EBSCO
  5. Enter your library card number (if not in library)
  6. Select a database (I suggest Literary Reference Center)
  7. Search using keywords (i.e. "frankenstein AND criticism")
  8. Save and/or print
Note that you should be organizing yourself as you go.  A key part of this is your folder and note cards.  Although I don’t require you to turn note cards with your quotes, I do require that you staple each source and attach a note card to the top left corner; this is where you will create a bibliographic citation for the source.

Also, I highly suggest that you at least skim a source before you print it.  This keeps the clutter down to a minimum and ensures that your sources are relevant.

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