R. Curt Rice, Instructor Student_______________________

This tutorial will familiarize you with three of the Library's premier Online Research Databases. It will also allow you to further develop your annotated bibliography by guiding you in research and selection of academic journal articles. This assignment is worth 10 points. Please return it to the Reference Desk of the Library by Weds. Feb 20^th, 1 pm. 2 points/day will be deducted for work turned in after that. No work will be accepted after Fri Feb 22nd.

If you have any questions, please refer to the class research guide for HIST 17A [http://library.shastacollege.edu/americanhistory.htm] or contact me:

Carolyn Salus Singh, Librarian, ph 225-4896, singh@library.shastacollege.edu

1. Online Research Databases

EBSCOHost, a general interest database, is strongest in current events but it does contain some reference materials and a few history journals.

Consider the following search topic: Thomas Jefferson, who wrote and campaigned prodigiously for democracy and equality, was himself a slave owner who refused to free the slaves he inherited from his father. Do similar inconsistencies haunt the hallowed images of the other "Founding Fathers" as well?

How will you research this topic? Before logging in, jot down some terms that will help you retrieve articles on the topic. I've listed some few below. Please add two more:

________slavery_________

________ slaves___ ______

_______________________

__"founding fathers" _____

__"Jefferson" _________

_______________________

Logging In:

Go to any computer with Internet access (that includes all computers in the Libary and Writing Center).

• Go to the Shasta College Library Webpage [http://library.shastacollege.edu/]
• Click on Online Research Databases. Scroll down to Magazines and Periodicals (Ebscohost)
• If you're working from Shasta College, click On Campus Access.
• Click on Ebscohost Web.

• If off-campus click Off Campus Access.

• Enter your 14 digit library card number (don't include spaces)

• Click on Ebscohost Web.

Tips for broadening include:

• adding synonyms with the connector OR (jefferson or adams or washington)
• truncating a word at its root with an * (ex. slave* yields slave, slaves, slavery…)
• searching within the text of an article (most databases default to searching the title and assigned subject headings)

• Limiting by year, type of publication (peer reviewed), or to full text only

• Adding another subject heading with the connector AND (slave* and Jefferson)
• Using quotes to retrieve terms that are both adjacent to each other and in a specified sequence (ex. "revolutionary war")

Enter "founding father*" in the text box, limit results to Full Text, and click on Search.

1. How many articles did you find? _________
2. Skim the titles of the first 10 articles. Do any seem to discuss the Founding


Fathers and slavery? _____no _____ yes If "yes", how many?______

3. Let's narrow the search. Click on Refine Search, add and slave* to your original search and click on Search. How many articles did you find? _________
4. Skim the titles of the first 10 articles. Do any seem to discuss the Founding


Fathers and slavery? _____no _____ yes If "yes", how many?______

5. Let's broaden the search. Click on Refine Search. Click on Guided Search. Scroll down to Expand Your Search and select search within full text articles.

Scroll down to Special limiters for MasterFILE Premier and select Peer

Reviewed. Click Search. How many articles did you find? _________
 
 

Pick one article from the most recent search.

6) Email this article to Carolyn (the librarian): singh@library.shastacollege.edu

Note: In the subject line, enter: [your name], hist17a

ex.: Lionel Tiger hist 17a

Complete the following:
 

7. Title of article: 8. Author of article: 9. Title of the print magazine: Date published_________________ Page on which article begins: _________ Length of article:________ 12. Cite the article in MLA format (sample given below):                             Sample Citation: Article from an online subscription service  Author. "Title." Print Journal, Volume(issue) Date Published: pages. Database,  Library where database consulted. Date Viewed <url of library's webpage> Chadd, Edward A. "Manifest Subsidies: Government Subsidies on Private  Companies. " Common Cause Magazine, 21(3) 1995: 18-21. EBSCOHost Shasta College Library, Redding, CA 23 August 2001  <http://library.shastacollege.edu >

 
 
 
 

For more examples of MLA style, go to: Books MLA handbook for Writers of Research Papers  5th ed. by Joseph Gibaldi. (Ready Reference LB2369 .G53 1999) Webpages 2) Monroe Community College's Guide to Writing Research Papers: http://www.monroecc.edu/depts/library/mla.htm#personal 3) University of Southern Mississippi's MLA Style Guide: http://www.lib.usm.edu/~instruct/guides/mla.html

Searching, Revising, and Documenting in General Reference Center Gold (InfoTrac) is also a general interest database. Some advantages to Gen Ref Center Gold include greater retrospective coverage, better illustrations, and browsing of tables of contents of individual issues. Unfortunately, this database does not permit you to limit a search to peer reviewed articles.

Logging In:

Go to any computer with Internet access (that includes all computers in the Libary and Writing Center).

• Go to the Shasta College Library Webpage [http://library.shastacollege.edu/]
• Click on Online Research Databases. Scroll down to General Reference Center Gold (InfoTrac)
• If you're working from Shasta College, click On Campus Access.
• Select the middle option, General Reference Center Gold

• If off-campus click Off Campus Access.

• Enter your 14 digit library card number (don't include spaces)
• Click on Proceed

1. How many articles did you find? _________
2. Examine the article titled: The Cooper Union Speech.

What is the original date of this resource?__________
 

3) Cite the article in MLA format :

 
 
 

II. Annotated Bibliography--Journal Articles

1. State the topic for your annotated bibliography:
 
 

2. List keywords that describe the topic:

________________________ ________________________

________________________ ________________________

________________________ ________________________
 
 

3. Select a database from the Shasta College Library collection of Online Research Databases.
4. Combine keywords into a search statement. Remember to use operators such as OR or * to broaden a search and AND or " " to narrow a search.


Search statement
 

How many articles did you find?_________

Was your search ____ too broad? ____ too narrow? ____ just right?

Revise your search as necessary. Record alternate strategies below.
 
 

5. Try your search in at least two different Online Research Databases.
6. Select four articles from the your best searches for possible inclusion in your annotated bibliography. Record enough information to locate the article again and cite it in MLA format.