Reference
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Encyclopedias and Handbooks
Specialized encyclopedias provide a useful introduction to most topics and help you to define new terms and concepts.
Gale Virtual Reference Libraries
Provides the full text of encyclopedias, handbooks, dictionaries in all subjects.Oxford Reference Definitions of concepts and ideas from a variety of specialized dictionaries and encyclopedias. Includes resources such as The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History.
Encyclopedia of sex and gender [electronic resource] Fedwa Malti-Douglas, editor-in-chief. Online only. 2007
The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Women's Issues Worldwide. 6 vols.
Location: Ref HQ1115.G7440 2003Encyclopedia of Women and Gender : Sex Similarities and Differences and the Impact of Society on Gender. 2 vols. Location: Ref HQ1115.E52 2001
Library Catalog – includes print, audio, and online books, videos, music recordings and other materials.
Keyword Searching – choosing and using keywords to get the best material.
Databases and Subject Guides
For any class or research project which is interdisciplinary and covers different subject areas, you usually need to use the resources in the subject area closest to your topic . For example, if you have a political topic, use political science resources; if you have a psychology topic, use the Psychology sources. Some relevant subject areas include:For other subject areas Electronic Databases by Subject provides a database list for each UNCG academic department or program.
Choosing and using search terms
In any search, choosing the best terms is essential. For example, if you want information on “women” – some databases also use the term “females.” If you want information on women’s wages, you might try terms such as “salaries” “wages” “pay equity” or “equal pay. ”
Search Connectors in Databases (Boolean Searching) - information on combining terms.
Finding Articles
Interdisciplinary – Covering all subjects
- Use to find articles from magazines and journals
- try searches like: Sex education and abstinence, male birth control
** Note : while Academic Search Premier and Academic One File are very similar in scope, each covers unique titles that aren’t included in the other source.
Finding Articles
Interdisciplinary – Covering all subjects
How to Find Scholarly Articles in WGS – a research guide
MLA International (Modern Language Association) Bibliography (1926 to present)
- Indexes books, essays in books, articles from nearly 4000 journals, proceedings, dissertations as listed in Dissertation Abstracts International, and other materials; excludes book reviews. Is the most comprehensive index covering modern languages (including computer and invented), literatures, linguistics, and folklore since 1000 A.D.
ABELL (Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature) (1920 to present)
- Index to books, periodical articles, critical editions of literary works, book reviews, collections of essays and doctoral dissertations on language and literature; produced by the Modern Humanities Association (Great Britain)
- Provides the full text of literary criticism, author biographies and interviews, book reviews, plot summaries, synopses and work overviews, poem, short stories, and definitions of literary terms.
- Provides the full text of biographical and critical materials from Contemporary Authors and Dictionary of Literary Biography and portions from Contemporary Literary Criticism and other Gale literary criticism sets covering the classical period to the present; also provides links to author websites.
Women's and Gender Issues
- Indexes articles, newsletters, pamphlets, books and more, 1992 - present
- International in scope
- Indexes books, journals, dissertation, conference papers, 1972 - present
- Includes women's, gender, and sexual diversity studies
History and Society
Historical Abstracts
- Indexes journals, books, and dissertations on North American history and culture.. 1964 - present.
Sociological Abstracts
- Indexes journals, books, and dissertations on modern history (1450 - present) from all regions of the world except North America. The best source for finding journal articles on non-North American history. 1955 - present
- Indexes journals and other materials in sociology, social work, and other social sciences. Excellent for articles on culture and society and includes historical as well as contemporary subjects.
Sometimes library databases will only provide the citation and / or abstract for an article, and not the full text. If the article you want isn't available, check to see if the library has access to it by looking for this link: Check for full text availability of this item.
Clicking this link will open a new window and do a search for the journal you want in Journal Finder, Jackson Library's guide to the magazines, journals and other periodicals available to you through our system.
Journal Finder will tell you if:
- the journal is available online, or
- the journal is available in print in the library.
Tips for using Journal Finder:
- Dates are important. Sometimes we have some of a journal in full text online, but not all. Make a note of the year in which your article was published, so that you can verify that it falls sometime between the "full text begins" and "full text ends" dates.
- If there is nothing under "full text ends" that means we have access to that journal "up to the present."
- Sometimes you will notice when using Journal Finder that the article title will be underlined in the "available online" display. Clicking this link is a quick way to get to the exact title you need, but it is not 100% reliable. If it doesn't work, click on the journal title instead and browse to the article you need.
- If you can't find your article online, it might be in print.
If the article you need is not in Journal Finder, don't despair! There are other options. Ask a librarian for more help!
Primary Resources
Locating original documents
Gerritsen Collection
Provides digital images of books, pamphlets, and periodicals covering the history of women, women's rights, women's suffrage, and feminism for women's history, 1543-1945.North American Women's Letters and Diaries
Full text of diaries and letters of 1500 American women, from the colonial period to 1950.Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1600-2000
- Provides over 20,000 full text documents, plus images, a chronology, and a dictionary.
- Includes both primary and secondary sources
Websites
The Victorian Web concentrates on British literature, history, and culture during the age of Victoria, it includes relevant material related to both earlier and later periods. Similarly, it includes comparative materials from countries outside the United Kingdom.
Women's & Gender Studies web sites – several useful sites from the UNCG Libraries website.
Additional Resources for Research Skills
Research Tutorial – a self paced interactive introduction to library research.
Evaluating Web Sites – tips for determining the reliability of web resources.
Style Guides - help in formatting a bibliography or resource list using MLA style.
MLA - Print
MLA - Electronic
Author info: Mary Krautter
Head of Reference and Instructional Services, Jackson Library, UNCG
