Best Bets for Starting Your Research in...

:: American Studies::

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

• America: History and 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.

• Social Sciences Full Text
  Full-text articles on the literature of political science, sociology, anthropology, economics, geography, law and criminology, and social work.
  Date Coverage: 1983 to present.

• JSTOR
  Contains archive images of searchable scholarly journals in various disciplines:: Arts & Sciences Complement Collection, and Arts & Sciences Collections I through IV (which include Language & Literature, and Music collections.
  Date Coverage: 1995-present
  Listen to a fun podcast "interview" with this database: iTunes RealPlayer
  
  
• Humanities Full Text
  Full text articles, page images, abstracts, and bibliographic citations for noted scholarly resources as well as specialized magazines in the humanities. Among the disciplines included are: art, dance, film, folklore, history, literary and social criticism, music, performing arts, philosophy, religion and theology.
  Date coverage: 1984-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:

"north america* AND (film OR cinema)

Here's another example:

america* AND (novel OR fiction)

 

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. American History
2. Political Science
3. Sociology
4. American Literature

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: Americ$ will search for America and 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

• Encyclopedia of American Studies
  Ref. E169.1 E625 2001 4 Volumes

• Dictionary of American History
  Ref. E174 .D52 2003 10 Volumes

• Encyclopedia of American Cultural & Intellectual History
  Ref. E169 .E624 2001 3 Volumes

• Encyclopedia of American Political History
  Ref. E183 .E48 2001

• Historical Statistics of the United States (E-Book)

  
  

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.

• Encyclopedia Smithsonian
  http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/
  The Smithsonian from A-Z - Links to on-line Smithsonian resources and answers to many American Studies questions.
• American Literature
  http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/sites.htm
  Annotated links to websites in American Literature, American Literary Movements and Authors.
• GPO Access
  http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gmanual/index.html
  The Official Handbook of the Federal Government.
  
  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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