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ANTH374 - Human Biological Variation

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Reference Sources

To find reference sources, use the Library Catalog, do a "keyword" search and limit by "location" to "General Reference"

Keywords

When searching, it is tempting to think that there is one right way to phrase a search. There's not. You need to try a variety of keywords, and combinations of those keywords, in order to get the catalogs and databases to produce results.

It helps to "read yourself into context"...meaning, start with one good article or reference source and pay close attention to the main words that are used. These words can be plugged into a new search, yielding a wider variety of results. Also, pay close attention to your assignment. Have you covered all the bases with your research?

If you expect to find an article that exactly matches *everything* you're looking for, prepare for disappointment. You may find pieces of what you're looking for in several articles, books, or reference sources. Then you get to synthesize this information into a new work...your own. :0)

Reference Databases

Research Databases

Tools:

Search techniques:

  • Use a variety of keywords. Ask yourself if the culture has been known by other names? Scan your results for other search terms to try.
  • Use a wildcard (*) at the end of a root word to get various endings
  • Use the FindIt@CSU button to get to full-text articles online or via Interlibrary Loan

Finding Books and Book Chapters from edited books

Tool:

Search technique:

  • Use keyword searching first
  • See how many results you get
  • Examine the most relevant results
  • Look for "Subjects"
  • Start again by doing a subject search
  • Compare your results
  • Ask at the Information Desk if you have any trouble locating materials in Morgan Library

Tips

  • How to avoid finding book reviews instead of articles in the research databases
    • Use the word "NOT" to connect search terms. Example: anasazi NOT book reviews
    • By the way, book reviews are fine to use when trying to find good books on your topic, but they don't count as an "article"
  • Try a variety of databases with a variety of search terms
  • If you haven't found what you're looking for after making several good effor attempts, please check with Cathy, or ask for help at the Information Desk. (If you send an e-mail to Cathy, please follow-up with a phone call if you don't hear back within a day.)

If you have any suggestions for making this guide more useful, please contact the Anthropology Librarian, Cathy Cranston.