1. Think of two or three keywords to describe your topic.
TOPIC: Discuss the history of tattooing in the United States
KEYWORDS: history tattoo united states
Other possible KEYWORDS to search:
Body Modification
Body Marking
Body Art
Self-mutilation
Tattooing
Body piercing
Plastic Surgery
Scarification
2. Type quotation marks around a phrase or an exact title.
Example: "body modification" will give more precise results than body modification
3. Combining Terms, Words or Phrases
Type AND and then type the word or phrase to include both.
Example: history AND tattoo AND "united states"
Type OR and then type the word or phrase to search for either one, the other, or both.
Example: tattoo OR "body art" OR "skin art"
4. Use synonyms and related terms to find different results. Example:
"body image" in place of "self-image"
"opinions" in place of "attitudes"
5. Wildcard Searching
To search for multiple variations of a word, substitute a "wildcard" for one or more letters.
Use * to represent multiple characters.
Use ? to represent a single character.
Example: tattoo* will find tattoo, tattooing, tattooed , etc.
Example: wom?n will find woman, women, etc.
6. Advanced Search
"Advanced Search" lets you easily search multiple fields at the same time and combine terms in complex ways.
If you are working remotely, limit Tripod searches to "online" to see ebooks.
Start at the Research Guides page, and select a subject to see recommended journal databases
Look for the button in each database!
will help you
Scholarly journals are written by and for experts in a field. The articles tend to be long and contain many citations and footnotes. |
Popular magazines are written for a more general audience, and authors tend to be journalists or staff writers. The articles usually don't provide footnotes or detailed citations. |
For a more detailed analysis of the differences between these types of publications, see these sites: Scholarly vs. Popular Periodicals video (Vanderbilt University) Scholarly vs. Popular Materials (NCSU Libraries)
Always Read Carefully! If your professor asks for a scholarly ARTICLE, make sure it's not a
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Lynda.com
The most commonly used publication styles are created by the Modern Languages Association, the American Psychological Association, and the University of Chicago. See the invidival tabs for Chicago, APA, and MLA for citation examples and further information.
(No matter what style your professor requests, a citation manager can help you organize and cite your sources, and so can a librarian.)
Zotero: The Tri-College Libraries recommend Zotero, a free online app that can format your bibliography, keep your citations organized, and even save your articles in the cloud so you can access them later from the library, home, or a cafe.
Any librarian will be happy to give your a tour or a few pointers of the software.
If you need help ask a Librarian! We will help you with your research.
Email: library@brynmawr.edu
Schedule an online appointment for a personal research session.
The librarians are here to help you! Email library@brynmawr.edu with your questions, contact any of us directly by email, or make an online appointment.
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