Best Bets for Starting Your Research in... :: Women's Studies ::
Use databases to find articles on your topic. These databases are the best place to start.
- Social Sciences Full Text
Covers the latest concepts, trends, opinions, theories, and methods from both applied and theoretical aspects of the social sciences.
Date coverage: 1983-present.
- America: History & Life
Citations and abstracts to the history and culture of the U.S. and Canada, from prehistoric times to the present. Includes over 2100 journals.
Date coverage: 1964-present.
- Academic OneFile
With extensive coverage of the physical sciences, technology, medicine, social sciences, the arts, theology, literature and other subjects, Academic OneFile is both authoritative and comprehensive.
Date coverage: 1980-present.
 Listen to a fun podcast "interview" with this database: iTunes RealPlayer
- Communication & Mass Media Complete
Journals in areas related to communication and mass media. CMMC incorporates the content of CommSearch (formerly produced by the National Communication Association) and Mass Media Articles Index (formerly produced by Penn State) along with numerous other journals in communication, mass media, and other closely-related fields of study to the communication discipline.
Date coverage: 1915-present.
- JSTOR
Contains full-text scholarly journals in various disciplines including: Jewish Studies, Middle East Studies, Religion, History and Language and Literature.
Date coverage: 19th century - about 5 years ago.
Listen to a fun podcast "interview" with this database: iTunes RealPlayer
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:
"civil right* " AND (sex OR gender)
Here's another example:
feminis* AND (protest* OR activis*)
Already have the citation? Find an article with citation linker!
Did you know...Databases are basically just search engines for articles on specific subjects. |
back to top
Find books using the library catalog. Browse these subjects to get general information on your topic.
- Feminism
- Women
- Sex Role
- Gender
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 ($) to search for a word and all of its variations.
For example: Feminis$ will search for feminist and feminism
Did you know...- WorldCat is a catalog of thousands of libraries around the world!
- If a book isn't in the Fairfield University catalog, search WorldCat and request the book from another library. Just click on the Interlibrary Loan button.
- You can search ReQuest to search just the libraries in Connecticut.
- Contact John Cayer, Interlibrary Services, with questions.
|
back to top
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 and Encyclopedias
- Routledge International Encyclopedia of Women: Global Women's Issues and Knowledge
Ref. HQ1115 .R69 2000 V. 1-4
- Encyclopedia of Feminist Literature
Ref. PN471 .S58 2006
- Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary Completing the Twentieth Century
Ref. CT3260 .N574
- The Women's Movement Today: An Encyclopedia of Third-Wave Feminism
Ref. HQ1115 .W644 2006 V. 1 -2
- Women's Studies Encyclopedia
Ref. HQ1115 .W645 1999
- Historical Statistics of the United States (Online)
http://hsus.cambridge.org/HSUSWeb/HSUSEntryServlet
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.
Did you know...
Wikipedia can be edited by anyone, so make sure you use another source to confirm the information you find there. |
back to top
These web sites have been evaluated by librarians (that's a good thing) for your use in an academic setting.
Did you know...
There are billions of web pages and Google only finds a fraction of them (about 15%). The rest is held in what's called the "Invisible Web", which is made up of dynamically generated information, password protected sites, and databases-driven sites!
|
back to top
|
