Best Bets for Starting Your Research in...

:: Latin American & Caribbean Studies ::

Use databases to find articles on your topic. These databases are the best place to start.

• Clase and Periódica
  Index of Latin American journals in the sciences and humanities.
  Date coverage: 1975-present.
  (Requires a password. Log into your stagweb account to view the password https://libdb.fairfield.edu/login)
  

• Informe!
  Citations to and the full-text of popular Spanish-language and bilingual periodicals. Includes title annotations in both English and Spanish to assist users.
  
  
• PAIS International & Archives>
  Citations and abstracts to articles, books, conference proceedings, government documents, and statistical directories including Latin American & Caribbean economic, political science, public administration, and international law.
  Date coverage: 1915-Present.

• HLAS Online
  The Handbook of Latin American Studies Online is a bibliography on Latin America consisting of works selected and annotated by academics from around the world.
  Date coverage: 1935-present.

• Ethnic NewsWatch
  Ethnic NewsWatch is a full-text collection of the newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, minority and native press.
  Date coverage: 1985-present.
  

Tips: When searching databases, use AND, OR, and parentheses to focus your search.

The asterisk * symbol will search for all variations of a word. For example: basket* will search for baskets and basketry. Using quotes will search for a phrase.

Combine synonyms with OR and put them inside parentheses, like this:

"Latin America*" AND (democracy OR politics)

Here's another example:

Hispanic wom* AND (literature OR writer*)

 

Already have the citation? Find an article with citation linker!

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Find books using the library catalog. Browse these subjects to get general information on your topic.

1. Latin American or Caribbean Politics
2. Latin American Literature
3. Latin American or Caribbean History
4. Latin American or Caribbean Culture

Search the library catalog! Find books, media materials, and more.

Other searches:
Browse | Advanced Search

Tips: When searching the library catalog with keywords, use the dollar sign ($) to search for a word and all of its variations.

For example: Latin Americ$ will search for Latin America and Latin American

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Reference tools such as dictionaries and encyclopedias are good places to start your research because they provide an overview of the topic as well as keywords, dates, and facts.

Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, and Handbooks

• The Cambridge encyclopedia of Latin America and the Caribbean
  Ref. F1406.C36 1992

• Encyclopedia of Latin American Literature
  Ref. PQ7081.A1 E56 1997
  
  
• Historical dictionary of U.S.-Latin American relations
  Ref. F1418 .F457 2005
  
  
• Concise Oxford Spanish Dictionary Online (Spanish-English / English -Spanish)
  
  
• The Oxford Spanish dictionary : Spanish-English/English-Spanish
  Ref. PC4640 .O94 2003
  
  
• Latin American and Caribbean artists of the modern era : a biographical dictionary of more than 12,700 persons
  Ref. N6502.4 .S45 2003
  

Tips: Try looking at the bibliography at the end of the entry for a list of other sources such as relevant journal articles and books.

When you have found books on your topic, look at the books on the shelf nearby to see if they are related to your topic.

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These web sites have been evaluated by librarians (that's a good thing) for your use in an academic setting.

• Library of Congress - Hispanic Reading Room
  http://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/
• Latin American Database
  http://ladb.unm.edu/
• CIA - The World Factbook
  https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
• WordReference – Spanish-English Dictionary
  http://www.wordreference.com/
• Latin America and Caribbean Economic Growthhttp://www.usaid.gov/locations/latin_america_caribbean/issues/
  trade_issue.html
  
  Tips: Any web site can be changed without notice, so be sure to evaluate every site you use.

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Use these short e-learning modules to get quick answers!

• Find a video/DVD in the catalog
• Find an e-book in the catalog
• Generate a bibliography automatically using RefWorks
  • RefWorks import/export directions
  • RefWorks login information
  • Refworks tutorial

Still have questions?

• Get help 24/7! Via Web chat at http://www.fairfield.edu/lib_askalibrarian.html
  

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