College English

 

Library Research

 

 

Picking a Topic Suggested Refence Sources Finding Books Find Books at our library Find Books at other NJ Academic libaries Finding Articles Strategies for searching the databases Use interlibrary loan Find specific journals in the library

. 

 

Picking a Topic

 

• Selecting a topic for a research paper or project can be very challenging. Try some of these tips to make the process easier.
  • select a topic that is of interest to you.
  • browse shelves for books (guide to call number subject areas)
  • read articles in encyclopedias or subject-specific dictionaries for ideas and direction in the REFERENCE SECTION
  • state your research topic
  • keep a list of keywords that define your topic
  • think about significant terms and keywords to use as you search
  • Start with a broad topic. It's easier to eliminate information as you write than it is to try to bulk up your paper

 

 

Suggested Refence Sources Suggested reference sources, available on-campus. Check your local library to see if these titles are in its collection. As a Ramapo student, you can use several other NJ state college libraries, such as William Paterson, Montclair, etc.
Encyclopedia of Women and Gender	Ref HQ 1115.E43 2001
Feminist Legal Theory: A Primer	Ref KF478 .L48 2006
Handbook of Marketing and Society	Ref HF5414 .H36 2001
Praeger Guide to the Psychology of Gender	Ref BF692.2.P73 2004
Questions of Gender	Ref BF692.2 .A584 1998
St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture	Online access
Supreme Court Cases on Gender and Sexual Equality, 1787-2001	Ref KF4758.A7S87 2002
Wimmen, Wimps & Wallflowers: An Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Gender and Sexual Orientation Bias in the United States	Ref HQ76.45 .U5H47 2001
Women and Men in Organizations	Ref BJ63.E54 2001
Physician-Assisted Suicide	Ref H31.O62 P70
Encyclopedia of Women and Gender: sex similarities and differences and the impact of society on gender	Ref HQ1115.E43 2001
Euthanasia: the moral issues	Ref 726.E294 1989
Michigan v Kevorkian: the ethics of assisted suicide	Ref BJ 352 .M534 2002
Oxford Handbook of Practical Ethics	Ref BJ 1031.O94 2003
Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics	Ref BJ 63.E44

 

 

Finding Books

 

Find Books at our library

 

• Catalog:use this link to find Books, government documents, reserve items, music, movies and journal titles (NOT JOURNAL ARTICLES) in our library

 

 

• Search the catalog using keywords to find materials
  • Write out a few keywords on your topics and enter them into the search box.
  • Don't write out a sentence - you'll get zero results.

 

• For Example: I'm interested in writing a paper on gender and equality
  • my FIRST search might be: gender equality

     

  • DON'T STOP here! Revise your searches and use the results to find other material

 

Find Books at other NJ Academic libaries

 

• Catalog: use this link to locate material at other NJ academic libraries. Use Interlibrary Loan to get the material you find or drive to local schools and pick up the book.



Finding Articles

 

• These databases are for finding journal articles
• They are available 24/7 ONLY to Ramapo students
• Off campus use requires login: Ramapo email and password

 

Some useful Databases for your projects:

General Databases
Academic Search Premier	A multi-disciplinary database containing both full-text articles and citations. Tip: When only a citation is included, click on the "Check availability at Ramapo" link to see if the full text of the article is available in our collection.
Expanded Academic ASAP	Another multidisplinary database that contains many full-text articles. Tip: If your search results include citations or abstracts (not full-text articles), click on the Check availability link within each citation to see if you have access to the journal being cited.
Contemporary Women's Issues	A full-text database with content from mainstream periodicals, "gray" literature, and the alternative press -- with a focus on the critical issues and events that influence women's lives in more than 190 countries
JSTOR	Entirely full-text. Although you can't email the articles, you can email  yourself the stable url. Tip:  Do not print from browser print button. Use the JSTOR print option
Gender Watch	GenderWatch is a full text database of unique and diverse publications that focus on how gender impacts a broad spectrum of subject areas. Tip: Use the Find a Copy link to see if the full text of the article is available in our collection.
Issues
Social Sciences Databases
Social Sciences Full Text		Tip: Use the Check for Full Text link to see if the full text of the article is available in our collection.
Social Science Journals	Urban studies Family studies Tip: Use the Find a Copy link to see if the full text of the article is available in our collection.
Sociological Abstracts	Sociological Abstracts indexes and abstracts the literature in socology Tip: Use the Find a Copy link to see if the full text of the article is available in our collection.

 

 

Strategies for searching the databases

 

 

•  Always switch to the Advance Search page in a database. This will give you more control over your results.
• Always use Boolean Operators-AND, OR, NOT when running a search. 
  • AND: narrows your search ex: "stem cells" and cloning
  • OR: broadens your search ex: (united states or america) and "human cloning"

     

  • NOT: eliminates ex: "Iraq" not "Desert Storm"

• Always go back and revise your searches! Look at using different terms and synonyms.
• For Example: I am interested in writing a paper on using human stem cells  for research in curing things like paralysis.

 

• Always check your Spelling if the database results are Zero.

• To look for full-text use the: check availablity at Ramapo, primary catalog, or check availability links in the databases
• Use the Subject Terms or Thesaurus link in databases to find the best search terms to use

  ---

Use interlibrary loan

 

• Use Interlibrary Loan if we don't have a book or article that you need

 

• Fill out the online form using your Ramapo Email (it will not be processed without that email address)

 

• WARNING: give yourself time (it can take longer than 2 weeks in some cases)

 

---

Find specific journals in the library

 

• Use the Journal Finder to locate the full-text of journals in our library. These can be either online or in print.